Gigantococcus rodriguesi (Castel-Branco)

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 : 64

Gigantococcus rodriguesi (Castel-Branco)

Crypticerya rodriguesi Castel-Branco, 1952: 23 .

Gigantococcus rodriguesi (Castel-Branco) ; Unruh & Gullan (2008: 37) .

Diagnosis (adapted from Castel-Branco, 1952). — Adult female oval, widest across abdomen with slight constriction between thorax and abdomen. Head and thorax completely coated in granular wax, with visible long, coarse black setae. Abdomen with clear segmentation irregularly coated with granular white wax and with robust black setae in the posterior region forming 4 tufts with 2–6 setae. Not forming an ovisac. Slidemounted adult female oval. Antennae 10 segmented; each antennal segment with setae. Eyes, mouthparts, thoracic spiracles and legs as for tribe. Long, thick hair-like setae present around margin, densest around head and thorax and longest at posterior abdomen. Setae and multilocular pores covering derm, pores less dense in the middorsal and ventral regions. Internal round sac full of numerous larvae present in abdominal region. Ventral cicatrices numbering 3. Abdominal spiracles as for genus.

First-instar nymph as for genus, except two pairs of long hair-like setae at abdominal apex. More robust setae present on dorsal surface.

Type data. MOZAMBIQUE: Nampula, C. I.C. A. experiment station, ex “algodoeiros” [=cotton plants], 16.ix.1948 .

Type material. Syntypes: ad ♀♀, 1 st -instar nymphs ( CZLP) .

Taxonomic notes. We were unable to examine material of this species. Castel-Branco (1952: 26) placed this species in Crypticerya sensu Cockerell because he believed it resembled C. rosae but with a waxy covering and very long setae. Furthermore, he described an internal ovisac full of "larvae" in the abdominal region, which fits the description of a marsupium. He believed that it could be confused with Auloicerya , but placed it in Crypticerya because it is covered with pores of shapes and sizes that differ from those of Auloicerya (1952: 23) . We transferred this species to Gigantococcus based on the description of the adult female in life.