Aleurodicus antillensis Dozier, 1936

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 : 20

Aleurodicus antillensis Dozier

(Fig. 52)

Aleurodicus antillensis Dozier, 1936: 144 . Neotype puparium here designated, Puerto Rico [USNM].

Redescription, from neotype puparium

PUPARIUM. Outline oval, 1.08 mm long, 0.76 mm wide. Margin. Irregularly crenulate, not regularly dentate. Dorsum. Longitudinal moulting suture reaching puparial margin; transverse moulting sutures becoming indistinct in outer subdorsum; a distinct fuscous patch at confluence of longitudinal and transverse moulting sutures in most specimens. Abdominal segment VII not significantly reduced medially. Vasiform orifice (Fig. 52) broadly cordate, wider (0.17 mm) than long (0.12 mm); operculum trapezoidal, its posterior margin almost completely straight, bearing a pair of stout setae; lingula head tongue-shaped, densely covered by setalike spinules, bearing the normal 4 stout setae; lingula extending to half-way between posterior edge of vasiform orifice and puparial margin. Chaetotaxy. A pair of posterior marginal setae present, long and stout, about 80 µ long, similar to lingular setae. Single pairs of cephalic, pro-, meso- and metathoracic and eighth abdominal setae present, finer than posterior marginal setae, about 30 µ long; submargin with 12 pairs of setae (including the nominal caudal pair), posteriormost 2 pairs up to 70 µ long, but remainder only up to about 20 µ long. Pores. Cephalic compound pores 24 µ in outer diameter, large abdominal compound pores 28–32 µ in outer diameter, situated on segments III–VI; a single pair of smaller compound pores located on abdominal segment VII (Fig. 52), 20 µ in outer diameter, but none present on segment VIII. Axial processes of compound pores not extending beyond pore rims, hardly evident. Submargin defined by crowded band of widerimmed pores, inner boundary of band lined by the submarginal setal bases and not interdigitating with compound pores; on abdominal segments VII–VIII only (Fig. 52) inner boundary submarginal pore band is also lined by a few distinct double-rimmed septate pores (7 in neotype); remainder of dorsal disc punctuated by small septate pores, fairly evenly distributed; a small array of bright pores anterior to each of the small compound pores on abdominal segment VII. Venter. Ventral characters entirely typical for Aleurodicus .

DISTRIBUTION. Neotropical Region – Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Neotype puparium, Puerto Rico, San Juan, Parque Muñoz Rivera, near Naval “Resv”, on Calophyllum antillanum (Clusiaceae) , 20.iv.1952 (Russell #357) ( USNM); 5 puparia, 1 thirdinstar / puparial mid-moult specimen, same data as neotype —on two slides in total ( USNM). Several other samples from USNM (some duplicates in BMNH), collected in Puerto Rico, from Pithecellobium unguis-cati , Cissus sycioides , Ficus laevigata , Inga laurina , and Cocos nucifera .

COMMENTS. No type depository for A. antillensis was traced by Mound & Halsey (1978), and Debra Creel (personal communication) has confirmed that the USNM collection does not house any material with data quoted by Dozier (1936). Given an inadequate original description, it is desirable to stabilise this species through the designation of a type specimen. Two slides from the Dozier collection are present in USNM, and one of these contains four empty pupal cases that are in good condition for examination, along with three uncleared puparia: unfortunately, the data are imprecise, being merely “ Puerto Rico, H.L. Dozier,?1935”. However, another slide from Puerto Rico contains puparia, collected more recently, that are in extremely good condition and are clearly conspecific with those on the Dozier slide, collected from Calophyllum antillanum which is one of the hosts listed by Dozier: one of these puparia has therefore been chosen as a neotype, here designated, and is clearly indicated on its slide. A. antillensis is a member of the capiangae / dugesii speciesgroup.