Poliaspoides MacGillivray

Ulgenturk, Selma & Pellizzari, Giuseppina, 2013, A new species of Poliaspoides MacGillivray (Hemiptera, Diaspididae) on Bambusa siamensis (Poaceae) imported into Turkey, Zootaxa 3694 (5), pp. 493-499 : 494

Genus Poliaspoides MacGillivray

Natalaspis MacGillivray, 1921: 309 . Type species: Chionaspis simplex Green. Subsequently designated by Ferris, 1938: 71. Poliaspoides MacGillivray, 1938: 71 . Type species: Odonaspis simplex formosana . Subsequently designated by Ben-Dov & Takagi, 1974: 45.

Diagnosis: body elongate, antennae with 2 setae, pygidium and lateral areas of prepygidial segments sclerotised, pygidium slightly rounded with crenulated margin; plates, lobes, spines, marginal sclerosis absent; ducts scattered; dorsal ducts on pygidium larger than ventral ducts; with or without perivulvar pores in 5 groups.

At present, the genus Poliaspoides includes three species: P. formosana (Takahashi) , P. simplex (Green) and P. leptocarpi (Brittin) . Of these, P. formosana and P. simplex were collected off bamboos ( Poaceae ) whereas P. leptocarpi is monophagous on Apodasmia (= Leptocarpus ) similis (Restinaceae), which is endemic to New Zealand (Henderson, 2011). With regard to their distribution, P. formosana and P. simplex are Asiatic species, the first having been recorded from China, Malaysia, Philippines and Taiwan and introduced into some Indian Ocean islands ( Mauritius, Reunion) and African countries ( Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa) (Takagi, 1995; Ben- Dov et al., 2012), whilst the latter is known only from India and Sri Lanka. P. leptocarpi is currently restricted to New Zealand.