Andaspis nothofagi Hamilton & Williams

Hamilton, Fredericka B., Williams, Douglas J. & Hardy, Nate B., 2017, Five new species of the armored scale genus Andaspis MacGillivray (Hemiptera, Coccomorpha, Diaspididae) from New Caledonia, ZooKeys 693, pp. 17-31 : 20

Andaspis nothofagi Hamilton & Williams sp. n. Figures 12-16

Material examined.

Holotype: adult female, slide-mounted. Original label: "New Caledonia, Mt. Mou, Nothofagus baumanii twigs, P.N. Johnson, 2.xi.1978, Andaspis " (handwritten in black ink). Deposited at BMNH.

Paratypes: 5 adult females. Same data as holotype. Deposited at BMNH and NMNH.

Description.

Adult female. Slide-mounted adult female 1.15-1.72 mm long; widest at first abdominal segment, 0.64-0.74 mm wide. Body outline oval or oblong, derm membranous except for pygidium. Each antenna with three setae. Anterior spiracles each with 3-5 disc pores, each about 4 µm in diameter, trilocular; posterior spiracles lacking pores. Anterior abdominal segments well-developed with convex margins; tooth-like tubercles present on margins of segments 1, 3, and 4. In addition to those on pygidium, a pair of gland spines along margin of abdominal segment 4 on each side. Many microducts distributed along margins of abdomen, thorax, and head.

Pygidium with well-developed median lobes, approximately triangular in shape. Two short gland spines present between lobes. Each median lobe with a paraphysis extending anterolaterally from inner angle, and another extending medially from outer angle with inner ends almost touching. A short sclerosis arising from inner base of each median lobe and a longer club-like sclerosis arising from near lateral base. Second and third lobes present; second lobes each with an hourglass-shaped sclerosis arising from base and third lobes each with a short oval sclerotic base. Seven to eight gland spines present along margin of each side of pygidium, each with long microducts, each about 60 µm. Marginal setae each about 15 µm in length, setae on abdominal segment 7 shorter, about 11 µm long. Macroducts on pygidium restricted to margin and submargin. Four marginal macroducts and one smaller and narrower submarginal macroduct located on each side of dorsum. Macroduct openings narrowly oval, each about 9 µm long × 4 µm wide. Macroduct located on abdominal segment 7 with a much narrower opening compared to the others, about 8 µm long × 2 µm wide. Perivulvar pores absent. Identity of dark-rimmed circular structures on dorsum and venter of pygidium near vulva unknown and they could be orifices of pores or setal sockets.

Remarks.

The adult female of this species is somewhat similar to that of Andaspis laingi Rao, 1952, a species known to occur in India. Adult females of the two species share an oval body shape and four marginal macroducts located on the dorsum. This species differs from A. laingi by the following characters (those for A. laingi in parentheses): well-developed lateral lobes (slightly developed lateral lobes), two scleroses present above each median lobe (one paraphysis above each lobe), and, in addition a short sclerosis present above each second lobe (sclerosis absent and second lobe obsolete), and a short sclerotic area present above each third lobe (sclerotic area absent and third lobe obsolete), also lacking perivulvar pores (three groups of perivulvar pores).

Etymology.

The specific epithet is the Latin genitive of the host plant genus, Nothofagus .