Erimococcus kimmericus (Kiritshenko)

MOGHADDAM, MASUMEH & WATSON, GILLIAN W., 2022, The Scale Insects Of Iran (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) Part 2 The Mealybugs (Pseudococcidae And Rhizoecidae) And Putoidae, Zootaxa 5126 (1), pp. 1-169 : 52-54

Erimococcus kimmericus (Kiritshenko)

( Fig. 18 , Plate 1 E , distribution map Fig. 67 E )

Phenacoccus kimmericus Kiritshenko, 1940: 189 . Peliococcus pseudozillae Borchsenius, 1949: 247 . Peliococcus bitubulatus Borchsenius, 1949: 251 . Peliococcus mesasiaticus Borchsenius & Kozarzhevshaya, 1966: 40 . Peliococcus xerophylus Bazarov, 1971: 92 . Peliococcus ilamicus Danzig & Gavrilov-Zimin, 2014: 419 , 420.

Field characteristics: Not recorded.

Microscopic diagnosis: Slide-mounted adult female broadly oval. Anal lobes well developed. Antennae each with 9 segments. Legs well developed, claw with a denticle; hind femur and tibia each with a few translucent pores; tarsal digitules pointed at tip and shorter than claw. Cerarii numbering 18 pairs. Anal lobe cerarii each with 2 lanceolate setae, 1 or 2 minute setae and 10–13 trilocular pores, all set on a weakly sclerotized area. Anterior cerarii each with 2 lanceolate setae and 2–5 trilocular pores; ocular cerarii (C 3) usually each containing 3 setae and 3 or 4 trilocular pores. Circulus present, divided by an intersegmental line. Ostioles well developed.

Dorsum with short lanceolate setae, plus some minute setae, each about as long as width of a setal collar. Some setal groups resembling dorsal cerarii, formed of 1 or 2 lanceolate setae with 1 or 2 trilocular pores at their bases, these groups present medially and submedially on head, thorax, and abdominal segments. Multilocular disc pores present across abdominal segments IV– VII , some pores associated with large- and small-type oral collar tubular ducts. Trilocular pores evenly scattered. Quinquelocular pores absent. Discoidal pores minute, few, scattered. Dorsal oral collar ducts of 2 sizes: large type always associated with small type, present on head, thorax and across segments 1– VII .

Venter with flagellate setae, and a few short lanceolate setae around margins. Multilocular disc pores each with 12 loculi, present across abdominal segments IV–VII, posterior to vulva, on submargin and margin of metathorax, and on margins of segments I–IV; some pores associated with large- and small-type oral collar ducts, on abdominal margins. Quinquelocular pores occurring in moderate numbers near mouthparts, medially on thorax, and across medial areas of anterior abdominal segments. Trilocular pores evenly scattered. Discoidal pores minute, few, scattered. Oral collar ducts, similar to those on dorsum, present on margins and submargins of segments II–VII; small-type ducts located medially on thorax and abdominal segments.

Distribution: Erimococcus kimmericus has been recorded from 11 countries in the Palaearctic Region, including Iran ( García Morales et al. 2016), where it is known from Fars, Ilam, Kermanshah, Khorasan -e Razavi, Khouzestan, Markazi, Kordistan, Sistan & Balouchestan provinces ( Moghaddam 2013b).

Host-plants: The species has been recorded on host-plants in 11 genera belonging to four families ( García Morales et al. 2016); in Iran, it has been found on Daphne sp. (Thymelaeaceae) , Noaea sp. (Amaranthaceae) , Prosopis farcta (Fabaceae) ( Moghaddam 2013b), Salsola dendroides (Amaranthaceae) and Zygophyllum atriplicoides (Zygophyllaceae) (Fallahzadeh et al. 2014b).

Economic importance: None.

Natural enemies: Not recorded in Iran.

Comments: The original description of Peliococcus ilamicus Moghaddam ( Moghaddam 2013a) is very similar to the morphology of E. kimmericus ; the small differences in the distribution of the dorsal clusters of tubular ducts between P. ilamicus and E. kimmericus are considered to represent geographic and intraspecific variability in E. kimmericus , a widely distributed and highly polymorphic species, so P. ilamicus was considered to be a junior synonym of Erimococcus kimmericus (Kiritshenko) by Danzig & Gavrilov (2014).

The accompanying illustration is reproduced from Moghaddam (2013a), page 42, Fig. 20 , with kind permission from the Chief Editor of Zootaxa.

Figures

PLATE 1. A, B. Ceroputo pilosellae Šulc; C, D. Dysmicoccus angustifrons (Hall); E. Erimococcus kimmericus

FIGURE 18. Adult female of Erimococcus kimmericus (Kiritshenko). © Magnolia Press, www.mapress.com/j/zt, reproduced with the copyright holder’s permission.

FIGURE 20. Adult female of Eurycoccus tamariscus Williams. © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, U.K.

FIGURE 67. Maps of species distributions in Iran.A. Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell); B. Dysmicoccus caspianensis Moghaddam; C. Dysmicoccus walkeri (Newstead); D. Dysmicoccus zagrosicus Moghaddam; E. Erimococcus kimmericus (Kiritshenko); F. Erimococcus talhouki (Matile-Ferrero); G. Eurycoccus tamariscus Williams; H. Exallomochlus balouchestanensis Moghaddam; I. Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell); J. Formicococcus robustus (Ezzat & McConnell); K. Kiritshenkella sacchari (Green); L. Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green).