Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock, 1881

Wu, San-An & Wang, Xubo, 2019, A review species of the genus Ceroplastes (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) in China, Zootaxa 4701 (6), pp. 520-536 : 524-525

Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock, 1881

( Fig. 4 )

Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock, Kuwana, 1927: 71 ; Yang, 1982: 187; Wang, 2001: 392.

Paracerostegia floridensis ; Tang, 1991: 306.

Material examined. FUJIAN: 12 ♀♀, Yong-an, on Cinnamomum japonicum (Lauraceae) , 12.ii.2011, coll. Jianqin Wu; 7 ♀♀, Youxi, on C. japonicum , 26.iv.2011, coll. Kaiju Wei. GUANGDONG: 5 ♀♀, Zhaoqing, on C. japonicum , 16.iv.2012, coll. Jun Deng, Ying Wang & Haibin Li; 16 ♀♀, Jieyang, on C. burmanni (Lauraceae) , 9.iv. 2011, coll. Shaobin Huang; 12 ♀♀, Shaoguan, on Ficus microcarpa (Moraceae) , 14.iv.2012, coll. Jun Deng, Ying Wang and Haibin Li. SICHUAN: 12 ♀♀, Chengdu, on Elaeocarpus sylvestris (Elaeocarpaceae) , 30.iv.2012, coll. Jun Deng, Ying Wang & Haibin Li. GUANGXI: 15 ♀♀, Liuzhou, on Cinnamomum japonicum , 23.iv.2012, coll. Jun Deng, Ying Wang & Haibin Li.

Distribution in China. This species has a wide distribution in both tropical and temperate regions of world ( Williams & Watson 1990). Comstock (1881) felt that it was native to Florida, but Cockerell (1895) and Gimpel et al. (1974) considered that it was native to the West Indies; however, Tang (1991) believed this species to be native to the Oriental region. Qin et al. (1998) gave no definite native area based on their phylogenetic and biogeographical analysis. We agree with Tang’s view because its close relatives [i.e. C. ajmerensis (Avasthi) , C. centroroseus , C. japonicus , and C. kunmingensis , as well as the new species described below (all of which have: dorsum without a median clear area, ventral tubular ducts, each duct with a short, very swollen inner ductile, present in submarginal band extending from near each antenna to near each anal lobe)], are all known only from eastern and southern Asia. In China, C. floridensis has been recorded from many places, as far north as Tianjin ( Wu 1935; Wang 2001; and other papers), but Yang (1982) only recorded it from Yunnan and Taiwan. Zhang and Zhao (1996) considered that C. japonicus had been incorrectly identified as C. floriensis in China before, and that C. floridensis did not occur in Jiangxi; however, today it is known in East, South and Southwest China (see specimens examined). The earlier records in other regions were probably either misidentifications of C. japonicus or from where it occurred in greenhouses.

Host-plants. Ceroplastes floridensis is polyphagous. For the distribution in China mentioned above, the early host-plant records need to be confirmed. The determined hosts include 26 species of 19 families: Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae) , Typonium divaricatum (Araceae) , Schefflera octophylla (Araliaceae) , Ilex cornuta (Aquifoliaceae) , Canarium album (Burseraceae) , Dianthus caryophyllus (Caryophyllaceae) , Diospyros kaki (Ebenaceae) , Elaeocarpus sylvestris (Elaeocarpaceae) , Cinnamomum japonicum , C. burmanni , Lindera megaphylla (Lauraceae) , Ficus microcarpa , Ficus sp. ( Moraceae ), Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae) , Osmanthus fragrans var. semperflorens (Oleaceae) , Trachycarpus fortunei (Palmae) , Pinus sp. ( Pinaceae ), Eriobotrya japonica , Malus pumila (Rosaceae) , Gardenia jasminoides (Rubiaceae) , Citrus reticulata , C. maxima , Murraya exotica (Rutaceae) , Dimocarpus longan (Sapindaceae) , Camellia sinensis , Schima superba (Theaceae) ( Huang & Huang 1988; Li 1994; Wu 2011; Wei 2011, and this study). Preferred hosts include Cinnamomum japonicum , Citrus reticulata , Gardenia jasminoides and Malus pumila .

Biology. Ceroplastes floridensis has one generation per year on Malus pumila in Kunming city, Yunnan Province; and two generations a year on Cinnamomum japonicum , Citrus reticulata , and Gardenia jasminoides in Fujian Province, where it overwinters as adult females or third-instar nymphs. No males were found. The immature stages occur on leaves and twigs before migrating back to twigs during the late third instar ( Huang & Huang 1988; Li 1994; Wu 2011; Wei 2011).

Remarks. Ceroplastes floridensis is close to C. centroroseus , C. japonicus and C. kunmingensis . It can be distinguished from C. centroroceus by presence of multilocular pores near each procoxa; from C. japonicus by the absence of multilocular pores near to each stigmatic atrium and presence of a continuous line of 6–18 bristle-shaped marginal setae between the stigmatic clefts on each side; and from C. kunmingensis by the cephalic and posterolateral clear areas being undivided and the claw digitules unequal.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Live appearances. (1) C. centroroseus Chen, on Magnolia grandiflora (Magnoliaceae), Yunnan, Kunming; (2) C. ceriferus (Fabricius), on Diospyros kaki (Ebenaceae), Beijing; (3) C. cirripediformis Comstock, on Duranta repens cv. variegata (Verbenaceae), Yunnan, Xishuangbanna; (4) C. floridensis Comstock, on Cinnamomum japonicum (Lauraceae), Fujian, Yongan; (5) C. japonicus (Green), on Platanus acerifolia (Platanaceae), Beijing; (6) C. kunmingensis (Tang & Xie), on Magnolia grandiflora (Magnoliaceae), Yunnan, Dali.