Aleurocanthus neofroggatti, Gillespie, Peter S., 2012

Gillespie, Peter S., 2012, A review of the whitefly genus Aleurocanthus Quaintance & Baker (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Australia, Zootaxa 3252, pp. 1-42 : 26-28

Aleurocanthus neofroggatti sp. n. (Figs 52–59)

Puparium. Black, requiring bleaching for slide examination, glossy with little or no apparent dorsal wax. Narrow white peripuparial wax fringe present (Figs 52, 59). Puparium often evenly oval shaped although sometimes cephalothorax marked by minor constrictions of margin. Puparia sexually dimorphic: female1020–1120 μm long, 675–815 μm wide, male 890–940 μm long, 610–640 μm wide. Margin very narrow, pale (golden) with regular rounded teeth, 7–8 per 0.1 mm with very little or no exaggeration at tracheal openings.

Dorsum. (Figs 53–54) Eleven pairs of orange long stout glandular spines present in submargin forming evenly spaced marginal concentric ring being the most elevated aspect of puparium, discal area concave. Marginal concentric ring of simple pores present between glandular spines. Longitudinal moulting suture reaching margin. Transverse moulting suture reaching margin in a “W” shape. Very pale circular eye spots apparent on cleared specimens. Rhachis absent or very weakly defined medially. Abdominal segments barely marked medially, VII not significantly different in length than preceding segments. Vasiform orifice rounded, slightly chordate and situated not much more than one vasiform orifice width from margin. Vasiform orifice elevated, particularly posteriorly. Operculum dark, rounded with straight posterior face, almost filling vasiform orifice. Lingula completely obscured by operculum.

Chaetotaxy (Fig. 54). Anterior and posterior marginal setae present. Cephalothoracic, first, eighth abdominal and caudal setae present. Eighth abdominal setae situated laterad to, and up to 1.5 x length of, vasiform orifice. Caudal setae twice length of vasiform orifice, situated two setal base widths from margin. Submarginal glandular spines 11 pairs, long, tapered with laciniate tips, arranged in marginal concentric fashion with 6 cephalothoracic and 5 abdominal pairs. Submarginal glandular spines with regular variation in size with 1st, 4th and 6th cephalothoracic pairs being consistently shorter (less than 50% of puparial width ~ 180 μm) than the remaining pairs (~80% of puparial width ~ 385 μm).

Venter. (Fig. 54) Cephalothoracic and caudal tracheal folds absent. Venter unmarked except for numerous fine stipples medially, these lines of stipples present at base of all legs and almost completely covering hind legs. Fine seta present at base of mid and hind legs. Ventral abdominal setae present, length about 50% of vasiform orifice width and situated anterior to vasiform orifice.

FIGURES 52–55. A. neofroggatti sp. nov.: 52, puparium habitus (500 µm); 53, puparium slide (500 µm); 54, puparium illustration (inset margin detail); 55, 3rd instar (100 µm).

3rd Instar nymph. (Fig. 55). Dorsal and peripheral white wax present. Similar in shape to puparium but smaller in size. Margin similar to puparium. Cephalothoracic, first, eighth abdominal and caudal setae present. Glandular spines absent from dorsum except for one pair of greatly enlarged, orange coloured glandular spines (about 230 μm), these with laciniate tips and sometimes as long as or longer than width of instar. Sometimes one submedial pair of glandular spines present on abdomen. Nymphal skins often stacked on puparia.

Egg. Pale yellowish rounded shaped, 220 μm long on a short peduncle. ( Fig. 57 ).

Adult. Female ( Figs 56, 58 ) Head dark brown. Antenna, pro- and mesothorax principally dark brown but with some paler discal areas. Metathorax principally brown with scutellum yellow and some sclerites with narrow yellow margins. Abdomen yellow with exception of tergite VIII which is brown. Antenna ( Fig. 56 ) about 400 μm long, seven segmented, each segment with numerous narrow bands of microtrichia. Single subterminal crown-like sensoria on V and VII. Two subterminal crown-like sensoria on III. Segment VI and VII with subterminal spine-like sensoria, VII also with small terminal sensorium. Wings 1510 μm long, whitish with narrow brownish transverse stripe mid wing and brownish spot near wing tip. Adult covered with particularly thick white waxy meal.

Etymology. Name derived from the superficial similarity of this species to Aleurocanthus froggatti , a species to which it is clearly related.

Distribution. NSW, Qld, SA.

Hosts. ELAEOCARPACEAE : Sloanea woollsii ; Elaeocarpus obovatus . MELIACEAE : Synoum glandulosum . MYRTACEAE : Acmena smithii ; other unidentified spp. RUTACEAE : Flindersia australis ; Melicope (‘Evodia’) sp.; Acronychia sp.

Material examined. Holotype: puparium slide: ex Lilli Pilli [ Acmena smithii ], Alviston St, Strathfield, near Sydney, NSW, 30.i.2007, P.S. Gillespie, M.J. Kerr & N. Cother, ( ASCT 00024884)( DNA =AM1534)( ASCU). Paratypes: [Qld] ex Flindersia australis, Anstead , July 2003, M. Coombs, 6 x puparia, 2 x 3rd instar, 1 x 2nd instar on 7 slides – ( ASCT 00025196-200, ASCT 00132213-14)( ASCU), 20 x puparia on dry leaves ( ASCT 00122376)( ASCU); unknown rainforest host, Somerset Dam (3km N of Dam wall), 2nd waterfall gully, 19.viii.2004, M. Coombs, B.C. McNeil and P.S. Gillespie, 1 x puparial slide ( ASCT 00132274)( ASCU), 1 x puparium in alcohol ( ASCT 00024863)( ASCU); unknown host, Mt Glorious, 24.iv.2002, M. Coombs, #117, 2 x puparia on a slide ( ANIC); Elaeocarpus obovatus, Long Pocket, Brisbane, Qld , 8.v.2002, M. Coombs, #124, 2 x puparia on one slide (20-013367)( ANIC); Synoum glandulosum, Mt Glorious, Qld , 24.iv.2002, M. Coombs, #117, 7 x puparia on a slide (20-013360)( ANIC); Mt Glorious, Qld, 24 Oct, 2000, P. DeBarro, # 63, 1 x puparium & 1 x 3rd instar each on slide (20-013643-4)( ANIC); [ NSW] same data as holotype, 1 x puparium slide ( ASCT 00132274) ( DNA =ww01533)( ASCU), ~ 50 x puparia on leaves ( ASCT 00132123)( ASCU); Fairfield, near Sydney, 6 August 1982, Mrs Pelizzori, 102 x puparia on dry leaf ( ASCT 00016121)( ASCU); unknown host ( Myrtaceae ), Hancock St. Bexley, 9.vii.2007, P.S. Gillespie, H. and B. Löcker and M. Priest, 1 x puparial slide ( ASCT 00024871)( ASCU), 45 x puparia on dry leaf ( ASCT 00166206)( ASCU); unknown host, Taronga Park Zoo, Mosman, Sydney, 1.iii.2007, P.S. Gillespie, H. Löcker, M.J. Kerr, K. Cowan, 1 x puparium on slide ( ASCT 00047568)( ASCU), ~ 60 x puparia and other instars on leaves ( ASCT 00132284) ( ASCU); unknown host, Horton Street, Marrickville, 22.v.2007, P. Gillespie, M. Priest, H. Löcker and N. Reid, 11 x puparia on leaf ( ASCT 00166205)( ASCU); [SA] Adelaide, SA., 31.vii.1994, D. Papacek, on ‘ Acronychia sp + Evodia sp.’, 6 puparia (4 with earlier instars attached) on 6 slides ( QDPIF). Non type material: [Qld], Mt Nebo, Qld, McNeil & Coombs, Ref 151, ex Sloanea woollsii , 10 x puparia on 10 slides ( ANIC).

Comments. This species is common on the eastern seaboard of Australia on a variety of rainforest trees particularly myrtaceous and rutaceous hosts. It will likely be found in suitable rainforest habitats south to Victoria. The author has found this species damaging street trees ( Acmena smithii ) in a number of Sydney suburbs. The records from Adelaide likely represent an incursion on suitable hosts that have been grown as ornamentals – it seems highly unlikely this area would be considered part of its normal distribution. This species is very similar to A. froggatti but can be distinguished from it by an additional two pairs of marginal setae, the long and non-uniform length of these setae and its preference for wetter habitats. The third-instar nymph of A. neofroggatti has one conspicuous pair of very long meso-cephalothoracic glandular spines, unlike those of A. froggatti which lack long glandular spines completely. The series collected from Sloanea in Qld, and excluded from the type material, is in poor condition and tentatively distinguished as A. neofroggatti to which it is most similar, but each specimen has only four abdominal pairs of glandular spines. A. froggatti belongs to the ‘ banksiae-valenciae’ group.

Figures

FIGURES 56 – 59. A. neofroggatti sp. nov.: 56, adult female antenna (100 µm); 57, egg (100 µm); 58, adult female habitus (1 mm); 59, puparia habitus (1 mm).