Stictococcus tuberculatus Laing

Williams, Douglas J., Matile-Ferrero, Danièle & Miller, Douglass R., 2010, A study of some species of the genus Stictococcus Cockerell (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea: Stictococcidae), and a discussion on Stictococcus vayssierei Richard, a species injurious to cassava in Equatorial Africa with a description of a new species from Nigeria, Zootaxa 2527, pp. 1-27 : 23

Stictococcus tuberculatus Laing

Stictococcus formicarius var. tuberculata Laing, 1932: 61 ; Miller et al., 2005: 542.

Comments. Laing (1932) first described this species as a variety of Stictococcus formicarius stating that specimens differ from those of S. formicarius in the darker colour, being brownish black instead of light castaneous. Furthermore, the dorsum differs from that of S. formicarius in being convex and the crenulations on the rim are not so pronounced. Laing also stressed the importance of the presence of two tubercles at the posterior end.

We have examined original slide-mounted specimens and find that they are too poor to illustrate or describe in detail. The dorsal marginal pores are larger than other dorsal pores and the ventral marginal setae are mostly bullet-shaped, as in S. formicarius and S. vayssierei . There do not appear to be any flower-shaped setae on the dorsum, a major character of S. formicarius , and, on at least one specimen, there is an enlarged seta widely fringed at the distal end situated near the anus. Such setae are not present in S. vayssierei . Besides, Laing described Stictococcus formicarius var. tuberculata as living on twigs but S. vayssierei is always subterranean. The tubercles mentioned by Laing could be equivalent to dermal depressions but are, apparently, everted and convex instead of concave. There are many similar structures on the dorsum. We now give this so-called variety full specific rank.

Type data. Belgian Congo [ Democratic Republic of the Congo], Stanleyville [Kisangani], on twigs of Sterculia tragacantha [ Sterculiaceae ], 1925.

Type material.– Lectotype of Stictococcus formicarius var. tuberculata here designated: adult female, left label, “ Stictococcus formicarius Newst. , var. tuberculatus Laing. TYPE ”. Right label, “Name. Stictococcus formi., var. tuberculatus nov. Host. Sterculia tragacantha [ Sterculiaceae ], Loc. Congo Belge: Stanleyville. Date 1925. Coll. J. Guesquière. No. 833.” ( BMNH).

Paralectotypes of Stictococcus formicarius var. tuberculata : 3 adult females on 3 slides (same data as holotype) ( BMNH).

This species has not been collected since it was first discovered. Guesquière (1932) reported that specimens were deposited in the Musée du Congo, but their fate is unknown.