Palaealeurodicus, Martin, 2008
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.1835.1.1 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0397F771-CE0A-FFD4-FF6B-C77DFC53FA4A |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Palaealeurodicus |
| status |
gen. nov. |
PALAEALEURODICUS gen. nov.
Type species: Aleurodes holmesii Maskell, 1896: 435
DIAGNOSIS. Characters of most diagnostic importance are given in bold. As interpreted here, Palaealeurodicus comprises species with the following combination of characters.
PUPARIA ( Figs 76 View FIGURES 73–76 -78, 80-83, 86, 136, 137) – submedian cephalothoracic, 8 th abdominal and anterior marginal setae, absent; submargin and/or dorsal disc usually with no evident simple pores, or with a few of one type only; cephalic pair and 4–6 abdominal pairs of large subdorsal compound pores present, most or all with a robust, acute, axial process even if this does not extend beyond pore mouth; cephalic and at least 2 abdominal pairs with their axial processes dagger-like, extending well beyond the pore mouth, and even beyond the puparial margin; anteriormost abdominal compound pore pair located on segment III
(but lateral to median part of segment II, as seen in Aleurodicus , see Fig. A), or on segment IV; two pairs of cicatrices present on thoracic area (scars of third-instar compound pores); lingula always protrudes beyond vasiform orifice, its four subapical setae on the protruding part; ventrally, each leg rounded apically, without an apical claw, antennae very short and close to fore legs (Fig. 86); margin usually with 3–5 pronounced teeth per 0.1 mm of margin; usually only 0–2 pairs of submarginal setae present (including the nominal caudal pair).
THIRD-INSTAR NYMPHS (Fig. 84) – with same chaetotaxy as its associated puparia, or with an increased number of setae; with 2 pairs of compound pores, thoracically situated; ventrally, legs and antennae smaller than in puparia, sometimes legs inevident. Third-instar with 2 pairs of cicatrices, on cephalus and last abdominal segment (Fig. 84); second-instar with 2 pairs of compound pores in same positions.
ADULTS (when known) (Figs 79, 85, 87–89, 98, 99) – with 7-segmented antennae; forewing vein R forked (Figs 87, 98); antennae of males with many prominent sensoria that give the flagellar segments a “knobbly” appearance ( Fig. 99 View FIGURES 95–99 ); abdominal wax plates numbering 4 pairs in males, and in females of cinnamomi, holmesii and machili , but 5 pairs in females of borneensis (Fig. 85).
ETYMOLOGY. The chosen name is designed to indicate the palaeotropical domicile of the included species, along with inclusion of this genus within the Aleurodicinae .
COMMENTS. The suite of characters given in bold, above, serves to define this new genus and to distinguish it from Aleurodicus , in which genus all previously described species were placed, and from Aleuroctarthrus gen. nov. whose sole species was also previously placed in Aleurodicus (see pp. 51, 52). Of particular note are the absence of puparial leg claws (whose presence is normally diagnostic for the Aleurodicinae ), very short puparial antennae, almost complete absence of dorsal setae (there is one exception to this), and almost complete absence of simple pores in the puparia. However, the presence of compound pores and four lingular setae reliably indicate inclusion in the Aleurodicinae . The presence of five pairs of abdominal wax plates in the females of P. borneensis (q.v.) is a character apparently unique to that species: females of two other Palaealeurodicus species are known at present, and they possess the more usual four pairs.
The species of Palaealeurodicus are poorly known, both taxonomically and biologically. A particular characteristic of the genus is the tendency for the puparial dorsum to become significantly raised as the adult develops inside, with the puparial sides covered by a waxy pallisade (Figs 136, 137). Probably P. machili has been the most frequently collected, being very common on species of Machilus and some other lauraceous hosts in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and also being known from India. P.holmesii has the widest known distribution, ranging from India to Australia and Fiji, but with no indication of whether it is native throughout its whole range (probably unlikely) or, if not, from whence it originated.
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