Cavariella nigra Basu, 1964

Xu, Ying, Chen, Jing, Jiang, Li-Yun & Qiao, Ge-Xia, 2023, Cavariella Del Guercio (Hemiptera, Aphidinae, Macrosiphini) in China, with a new species, new synonymies, and first country records, ZooKeys 1169, pp. 235-292 : 235

Cavariella nigra Basu, 1964

Figs 18 , 19 , 34

Cavariella nigra Basu, 1964: 240.

Specimens examined.

One ap. viv. fem. and one ala. viv. fem., China: Sichuan ( Ganzi City ), 18.VII.2017, No. 45858-1-1, on Salix , coll. J.F. Ji ; one ap. viv. fem. and one ap. viv. fem. (COI: OP956126 ), Hubei (Yien County), 3.V.2016, No. 36849-1-1, on Apiaceae , coll. X.C. Zhu ; one ap. viv. fem. (slide) and one ap. viv. fem. (COI: OP956134 ), Shaanxi (Ningshan County), 4.VI.2018, No. 43081-1-1, on Apiaceae , coll. H. Long ; one ap. viv. fem. and one ala. viv. fem. (slides), one ap. viv. fem. (COI: OP956130 ), Jilin, 5.VIII.2017, No. 41140-1-1, on Apiaceae , coll. T.Y. Liu and H. Long ; two ap. viv. fems., Yunnan, 25.IX.2020, No. 49354-1-1, on Apiaceae , coll. Y. Xu ; two ap. viv. fems., Tibet ( Nyingchi City ), 30.VI.2021, No. 51743-1-1, on Salix , coll. Y. Xu ; two ap. viv. fems., Tibet ( Nyingchi City ), 26.VI.2021, No. 51699-1-1, on Salix , coll. Y. Xu ; three ap. viv. fems. and five ala. viv. fems., Beijing, 4.VIII.2000, No. 12561, on Apiaceae , coll. G.X. Qiao.

Diagnosis.

In life, body dorsum black, venter of abdomen pale yellow, sometimes pink, and appendages black (Fig. 34 ); nymphs pale yellow, sometimes pink, and appendages black; thoracic nota and abdominal tergites each with one pair of spinal and marginal patches (Fig. 34D ). In specimens, Body dorsum sclerotized and uniformly black-brown in mounted specimens (Fig. 18A ). PT 1.17-1.49 × Ant. VIb. Ant. III-V each with 51-64, 11 or 12, 1-3 circular and produced secondary rhinaria in alatae (Fig. 19B ). URS long wedge-shaped (Fig. 18D ), reaching hind coxae. ABD TERG VIII with short supra-caudal process (Fig. 18K ), 0.05-0.11 mm, 0.84-1.45 × basal width. SIPH long cylindrical (Fig. 18I ), not swollen, constricted distally, with strongly imbricated.

Comment.

The species is recorded in China for the first time. The species resembles Cavariella japonica , but differs as follows: body dorsum sclerotized and black, and appendages uniformly black in life; nymphs pale yellow, thoracic nota and abdominal tergites each with one pair of spinal and marginal patches in life ( C. japonica : body white, dorsum sometimes slightly sclerotized, distal part of tibiae and tarsi black, other parts pale in life; nymphs white, unsclerotized in life); PT 1.17-1.49 × Ant. VIb ( C. japonica : PT 1.41-1.64 × Ant. VIb); Ant. III-V each with 51-64, 11 or 12, 1-3 circular and produced secondary rhinaria in alatae ( C. japonica : Ant. III-V each with 31-38, 4 or 5, 0 or 1 circular secondary rhinaria in alatae).

Biology.

Primary host plants: Salix , and the aphids feed on tender tips and with ant attendance (Fig. 34A-C ) in China and India ( Basu 1964). Secondary host plants are Apiaceae in China, and the aphids feed on young leaves and flowers, with ant attendance (Fig. 34D-F ).

Distribution.

China (Beijing, Gansu, Hubei, Jilin, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan), India (West Bengal) ( Basu 1964).

Figures

Figure 18. Cavariella nigra Basu. Apterous viviparous female: A dorsal view of body B dorsal view of head C antenna D ultimate rostral segment E second hind tarsal segment F spino-pleural sculptures of abdominal tergites I-VI G marginal papillate tubercles of abdominal tergite II H abdominal tergites V-VIII I siphunculus J sculptures and papillate tubercles of abdominal tergites VII-VIII K supra-caudal process on abdominal tergite VIII L cauda M anal plate. Scale bars: 0.10 mm.

Figure 19. Cavariella nigra Basu. Alate viviparous female: A dorsal view of body B antenna C marginal tubercles of abdominal tergite II-III D muskelplatten E siphunculus F supra-caudal process on abdominal tergite VIII G genital plate. Scale bars: 0.10 mm.

Figure 34. The ecological habitat photographs of Cavariella nigra Basu in field A two apterae feeding on underside leaves of Salix in spring B the apterae and nymphs feeding on tender stem of Salix in summer C the species feeding on Salix with ant- attendance D the nymphs feeding on tender stem of Salix in summer E, F the species feeding on Apiaceae.