Doubling the known endemic species diversity of New Caledonian armored scale insects (Hemiptera, Diaspididae)
Author
Hardy, Nate B.
Author
Williams, Douglas J.
text
ZooKeys
2018
782
11
47
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.782.27938
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.782.27938
1313-2970-782-11
AFAF1F4D2D8345CCB309F6695BDAE56B
Greeniella casuarinae
sp. n.
Figure 7
Material examined.
Holotype: New Caledonia: 1 adult female (0.43 mm long, 0.36 mm wide): ex
Casuarina
sp., near
Yate
Dam, 3.ix.1963, SW Brown, SWB accession 267 (USNM).
Description.
Adult female, n = 1. Presumed pupillarial. Body of holotype 0.43 mm long, broadest at anterior abdominal segments (0.36 mm); body outline circular, with slight constriction at head.
Pygidium truncate, without dorsal macroducts, typical lobes, or plates; with six projections, each subtriangular, slightly bifid at apex. Anus circular, in posterior half of pygidium. Venter with vulva in posterior half, at level of anus. Perivulvar pores absent. Microducts scattered along posterior margin.
Pre-pygidial segments. Microducts scattered along margin of anterior abdominal segments, meta- and mesothorax. Fine setae in distinct submedial and marginal series; setae not detected on head and thorax. Antennae each with two long setae. Spiracles without pores.
Figure 7. a Adult female of
Greeniella casuarinae
sp. n. with b enlargement of pygidium.
Comments.
Before this work, the genus
Greeniella
Cockerell (1897)
contained 14 valid species, all but two occurring in southern Asia. The exceptions are two Australian species,
G. capitata
Brimblecombe and
G. ornata
Brimblecombe. The defining feature for the group is that the pupillarial adult females have unusual pygidia, with caudal projections in addition to or instead of the normal lobes and plates. Nevertheless, the taxonomy of pupillarial armored scale insect species undoubtedly needs sorting, and the boundaries between the genera
Greeniella
,
Eugreeniella
, and
Aonidia
are blurry (B. B. Normark pers. comm.). The adult female of
G. casuarinae
is unique in having six short, sub-triangular, bifid caudal projections.
Etymology.
The species epithet is taken from the genus name of the host.