Crypticerya mexicana, Cockerell & Parrott, 1899

Unruh, Corinne M. & Gullan, Penny J., 2008, Identification guide to species in the scale insect tribe Iceryini (Coccoidea: Monophlebidae), Zootaxa 1803 (1), pp. 1-106 : 24

Crypticerya mexicana group

Two described species, C. tuberculata and C. mexicana , and an undescribed Mexican species belong to this group. All species form an internal marsupium and the marsupial band of these species differ from other marsupium-forming Crypticerya species by the presence of dense hair-like setae and bilocular pores only (other species have pores with bilocular and trilocular centres). A distinctive feature of C. tuberculata is the presence of very elongate tubercles in dorsal longitudinal rows and around the margin. The undescribed Mexican species also has elongate tubercles, but differs from C. tuberculata and C. mexicana in other ways that will not be discussed here. Unfortunately, C. mexicana is very rare and we have only been able to examine a limited number of specimens, but the dorsal surface of C. mexicana is covered with very dense, short, robust setae, which is unlike any other Crypticerya species.