Rhodania aeluropi Williams & Moghaddam

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 : 122

Rhodania aeluropi Williams & Moghaddam

( Fig. 54 , distribution map Fig. 70 E )

Rhodania aeluropi Williams & Moghaddam 2007: 38 .

Field characteristics: Not recorded.

Microscopic diagnosis: Slide-mounted adult female rotund, membranous. Anal lobes membranous, barely perceptible, each with an apical seta. Antennae each with 6 segments. Legs well developed, slender, small for size of body; hind leg with fairly large translucent pores on ventral surface of coxa; claw long, without a denticle, surpassing claw in length; tarsal digitules shorter than claw digitules, pointed. Cerarii present on anal lobes only, each cerarius represented by a pair of long flagellate setae and another similar seta situated a short distance anteriorly. Circulus absent. Ostioles absent. Anal ring narrowly rimmed, without pores, bearing 6 slender setae each shorter than ring diameter; ring situated either at body apex or on dorsum, anterior to apex by a distance of up to twice its diameter.

Dorsum with short flagellate setae, except for some long marginal setae on posterior abdominal segments. Multilocular disc pores conspicuous, each with a distinct quinquelocular center and an outer ring of about 10 loculi, usually with indistinct walls; numerous, distributed mostly in rows across anterior and posterior edges of abdominal segments, becoming more scattered on head and thorax. Oral collar tubular ducts present, each with a membranous collar inside body, about 1/3 length of duct; inner end of duct heavily sclerotized; ducts not numerous, most frequent on midline, usually on abdominal segments III–VI, and around margins, only a few present in submarginal and submedial areas.

Venter with setae similar to those on dorsum. Disc pores same as those on dorsum, with a similar distribution but sparser on head and thorax. Oral collar ducts same as those on dorsum, present around margins and with a few across middle of posterior abdominal segments.

Distribution: Rhodania aeluropi is only known from Khouzestan province, Iran ( Williams & Moghaddam 2007).

Host-plants: This Iranian species was found on Aeluropus sp. (Poaceae) in a sugarcane field ( Williams & Moghaddam 2007).

Economic importance: None.

Natural enemies: None recorded.

Comments: The accompanying illustration is reproduced from Moghaddam & Williams (2007), page 39, Fig. 1 , with kind permission from the authors and the Chief Editor of Zootaxa.

Genus SACCHARICOCCUS Ferris

Saccharicoccus Ferris, 1950 b: 216 . Type species: Dactylopius sacchari Cockerell by monotypy and original designation.

Principal characters: Body of adult female oval to elongate oval. Antennae normally each with 7 segments, Legs well developed but small for size of body; hind coxa surrounded by minute pores on adjacent derm; claw without a denticle. A single pair of cerarii present, on anal lobes. Multilocular disc pores present on dorsum at least on abdomen, also present on venter of abdomen, thorax, and around margins forward to head. Trilocular pores present. Circulus, if present, often ‘hourglass’ shaped. Anterior and posterior ostioles present. Oral collar tubular ducts present on venter ( Williams & Watson 1988).

Comments: Worldwide, three species are included in Saccharicoccus ( García Morales et al. 2016) ; one species is known from Iran ( Moghaddam 2013a).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Generalised morphology of an adult female mealybug (including two types of ceroris, a structure found only in the family Rhizoecidae). © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, U.K.

FIGURE 54. Adult female of Rhodania aeluropi Williams & Moghaddam. © Magnolia Press, www.mapress.com/j/zt, reproduced with the copyright holder’s permission.

FIGURE 70. Maps of species distributions in Iran. A. Planococcus vovae (Nasonov); B. Pseudococcus comstocki (Kuwana); C. Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti); D. Pseudococcus viburni (Signoret); E. Rhodania aeluropi Williams & Moghaddam; F. Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell); G. Spilococcus alhagii (Hall); H. Spilococcus mirzayansi (Moghaddam); I. Spilococcus williamsi sp. n.; J. Trabutina crassispinosa Borchsenius; K. Trabutina mannipara (Hemprich & Ehrenberg); L. Trabutina serpentina (Green).