Aleuroctarthrus destructor (Mackie) Martin, 2008

Martin, Jon H., 2008, A revision of Aleurodicus Douglas (Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae), with two new genera proposed for palaeotropical natives and an identification guide to world genera of Aleurodicinae, Zootaxa 1835 (1), pp. 1-100 : 53

Aleuroctarthrus destructor (Mackie) comb. nov.

(Figs 90–93)

Aleurodicus destructor Mackie, 1912: 142 . Neotype, Philippines [designated by Martin, 1999: 17, USNM, examined]. Aleurodes albofloccosa Froggatt, 1918: 436 . Lectotype puparium, Australia [designated by Martin, 1999: 17, USNM,

examined]. Synonymised by Dumbleton, 1956: 160.

DISTRIBUTION. Oriental Region – Thailand; Austro-oriental Region – Brunei, West Malaysia, New Britain, New Guinea, Philippines, Sarawak, Solomon Is, Sulawesi; Australia - NT, Qld, NSW, Vic, WA.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Material from all countries listed above ( BMNH).

COMMENTS. As the only included species, the generic diagnosis given above serves to provide all the salient characters for A. destructor . The presence in puparia of six pairs of very large ring-shaped abdominal compound pores, which most often appear to be devoid of axial processes, combined with only a single pair of stout lingular setae, renders A. destructor immediately recognisable. The presence of eight-segmented antennae in adults is apparently unique to A. destructor , but see discussion of Palaealeurodicus indicus , above and on p. 50.

Despite its name, A. destructor seems only rarely to cause problems for agriculturalists, and it has not been submitted to BMNH for identification for over 20 years. A single puparium, sent to BMNH from Liverpool Garden Festival in 1984, and stated to have been collected on Olea from Spain, is regarded as having erroneous data.