Andaspis conica 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 : 18-20

Andaspis conica Hamilton & Williams sp. n. Figures 7-11

Material examined.

Holotype: adult female, slide-mounted. Original label: "New Caledonia, Rivière Bleue, Nothofagus codonandra , J.S. Dugdale, 10.x.1978, Andaspis " (handwritten in black ink). Deposited at BMNH.

Paratypes: 13 adult females. Same data as holotype. Deposited at BMNH and NMNH.

Description.

Adult female. Slide-mounted adult female 0.88-1.52 mm long; 0.42-0.54 mm wide. Body outline fusiform, derm membranous except for pygidium. Each antenna with four setae. Anterior spiracles each with 1 or 2 disc pores, each about 3 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 present along lateral margins of abdominal segment 4.

Pygidium with well-developed median lobes, approximately triangular in shape. Two short gland spines present between median lobes, extending almost halfway down lobes. Each median lobe with a transversal paraphysis arising from each basal angle, inner ends almost touching; a short sclerosis arising from inner basal angle, and a longer club-like sclerosis extending from lateral basal angle of each median lobe. Second lobes present; each with a short pyriform sclerosis near base. Eleven gland spines present on each lateral margin of pygidium, each gland spine with a long microduct, about 45 µm. Marginal setae each about 12 µm in length, setae on abdominal segment 7 shorter, each about 9 µm long. Macroducts on pygidium restricted to margin and submargin. Four marginal macroducts and one smaller, narrower submarginal macroduct located on each side of dorsum. Macroduct openings almost vertical to margin, narrowly oval, each about 11 µm long × 3 µm wide, except for a very narrow submarginal macroduct located on abdominal segment 7 with an opening 9 µm long × 2 µm wide. Perivulvar pores absent. Identity of dark-rimmed circular structures on venter and dorsum of pygidium near vulva unknown and they could be orifices of pores or setal sockets.

Remarks.

The adult female of this species most resembles that of Andaspis kazimiae Williams, 1963, a species known to occur in Pakistan. Adult females of the two species share four marginal macroducts located on the dorsum and have a second lobe. This species differs from A. kazimiae by the following characters (those for A. kazimiae in parentheses): a pair of scleroses located above each median lobe (scleroses absent above each median lobe), second lobe with pyriform sclerosis near base (second lobe without pyriform sclerosis near base), lacking perivulvar pores (three groups of perivulvar pores), and antennae with four setae (antennae with two setae).

Etymology.

The specific epithet conica is the Latin feminine adjective meaning conical and refers to the conical head.