蚧 (jiè): (used in 蛤蚧) tokay gecko

Meanings

蚧虫吸了汁液，柑橘叶子发黄脱落。

Jiè chóng xī le zhīyè, gānjú yèzi fāhuáng tuōluò.

Scale insects suck the sap and the citrus leaves turn yellow and drop.

history

蚧 is not used independently. It survives in 蛤蚧 (the tokay gecko, used in traditional medicine) and 蚧虫 (scale insect).

radical

虫 chóng

insect; small animal

The 虫 radical groups this with small creatures, both the scale insect and (loosely) the gecko.

phonetic

介 jiè

to lie between; shell

介 supplies the sound jiè. The same phonetic appears in 界 (boundary) and 疥 (scabies).

蚧 jiè