Aleurodicus coccolobae Quaintance & Baker, 1913

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 : 25-26

Aleurodicus coccolobae Quaintance & Baker

( Figs 2 , 13, 123)

Aleurodicus coccolobae Quaintance & Baker, 1913: 46 . Lectotype puparium here designated, Mexico [USNM].

DISTRIBUTION. Neotropical Region - Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Panamá.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Type material as detailed and discussed below ( USNM); Belize – 4 samples, Chiquibul Forest Reserve and Mountain Pine Ridge, on Cassia ,? Simarouba , Persea and Psidium (BMNH) ; Costa Rica – 3 samples, Cahuita and Turrialba, on? Bixa and palms ( BMNH); Ecuador, 3 samples, Manta, Coca and San Vicente, on Annona , Cocos and Inga (BMNH) ; Mexico – 3 samples, Veracruz and Progreso, on Hibiscus , Manihot and “croton” ( BMNH).

COMMENTS. Only a single slide of syntype material was available for study, housing three parasitised puparia. This is clearly the slide mentioned by Quaintance & Baker in their original description – “ Type no.14765 ….. three parasitized specimens in balsam mount”. This slide had a third label affixed on top of one of the original two, with the data “Q.2975, Yucatan, 1904”, and this label has now been transferred to the obverse surface of the slide, to reveal the earlier label. The original two labels bear the data “ Aleurodicus coccolobae Quaintance & Baker , Type no. 14765 USNM” and “2975 Q., Aleurodicus n. sp.?, 1/28/04, Progreso, Yucatan ”. A fourth label has now been added, on the obverse, with details of the lectotype designation. The specimens on the lectotype slide had clearly not been treated for removal of waxy secretions, and all are still occupied by parasitoid pupal material, but most of the main characteristics are visible on one specimen which is here designated the lectotype and is indicated as such on a new slide label. A slight advantage of these specimens not having been treated for wax removal is that the emergence of secretion from the main types of simple pore is clearly visible, a character not seen in fully-prepared specimens on slides .

A. coccolobae is one of the species that form the dispersus -group ( Russell, 1965), a natural grouping within Aleurodicus , whose puparia either lack small compound pores entirely, or have only one pair present (on abdominal segment VII) along with particularly dense provision of dorsal disc pores of four types, and submedian thoracic setae much reduced in size. This small species-group was discussed by Russell as part of her description of A. dispersus , the spiralling whitefly. The appearance of A. coccolobae and A. dispersus puparia in life may be compared in figures 123 and 122 respectively.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Aleurodicus spp, puparia, photomicrographs. 1, A. araujoi Sampson & Drews. 2, A. coccolobae Quaintance & Baker. 3, A. dispersus Russell. 4, A. dugesii Cockerell.