Parastictococcus brachystegiae (Hall)

Hodgson, Chris, 2020, A review of neococcid scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccomorpha) based on the morphology of the adult males, Zootaxa 4765 (1), pp. 1-264 : 115-116

Parastictococcus brachystegiae (Hall) ( Fig. 47 )

Stictococcus brachystegiae Hall 1935a, 222 –226. Type data: Zimbabwe, Mazoe, on Brachystegia sp., 08/10/1927; Theydon, on Brachystegia sp., 04/12/1927; Theydon, on Berlinia globiflora , 19/11/1928. Syntypes, female, Type depository: BMNH.

Stictococcus (Parastictococcus) brachystegiae (Hall) ; Richard 1971, 593. Change of combination.

Parastictococcus brachystegiae (Hall) ; Richard 1976, 659. Change of combination.

Material examined. Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), Mazoe, on Brachystegia sp., 8.x.1927, W.J. Hall ( BMNH): 3/7ad ♂♂ (in fairly poor condition, four uncleared and 3 cleared and stained but badly mounted and damaged. One of the uncleared specimens was surprisingly clear and this was used for the description, with some details confirmed from the other specimens).

Mounted material: quite small, total body length about 1.25 mm; antennae short, six segmented; body setae few but some quite long (31–55 μm), particular on abdomen. Wings well-developed and broad.

Head: appearing almost round in dorsal view; width across genae about 211 μm. Median crest (mc) broad, par- ticularly posteriorly, striated or reticulated; postoccipital ridge (por) absent; with (on each side) 13 fs + 1 hs dorsal head setae (dhs). Mid-cranial ridge: dorsal ridge (dmcr) absent; ventral ridge (vmcr) with well-developed lateral branches (lmcr) and a long medial ridge; with a few striations laterally; with 1 or 2 fs + 0 or 1 hs ventral mid-cranial ridge setae (vmcrs) on each side. Genae (g) without reticulations; genal setae (gs): 9–11 fs + 1–3 hs on each side posterior to dorsal part of postocular ridge. Eyes: with two pairs of round simple eyes; dorsal eyes (dse) near antennae, subequal in width to ventral eyes (vse) (near mouth), each 34–40 μm wide. Ocelli (o) quite large, 21–22 μm wide. Ocular sclerite (ocs) without polygonal reticulations. Preocular ridge (procr) very small or absent. Interocular ridge absent. Postocular ridge (pocr) strongly developed, extending a short distance dorsally past posterior margin of each ocellus. Dorsal ocular setae (docs) absent. Ventral head setae (vhs): 13–15 fs + 2 hs on each side and with 1 pair of fs posterior to ventral eyes. Preoral ridge (pror) and cranial apophysis (ca) not visible.

Antennae: 6-segmented and filiform, total length 311–330 μm (total body length to antennal length ratio 1:0.27). Scape (scp): 33–42 μm long and 43 μm wide, with 2? fs + 2 hs. Pedicel (pdc): length 30 μm, width 38 μm; possibly with a few concentric ridges; with 6–7 fs + 2 hs. Fleshy setae about 28 μm long. Segment III 40 μm wide distally and 133 μm long, with 11–20 fs + 3 hs; segment IV 55 μm long, with 9–12 fs, 2–4 hs + 1 bristle; segment V 45 μm long, with 8–9 fs, 3–4 hs + 1 bristle; segment VI slightly constricted apically, 47 μm long, with 3 bristles, possibly 1 fs + 3 capitate setae. No sensilla basiconica detected.

Thorax. Prothorax: pronotal ridge (prnr) well-developed but not fused dorsally; lateral pronotal sclerite (prn) rather narrow; without lateral pronotal (lpns) setae. Medial pronotal setae, post-tergites and post-tergital setae probably absent. Sternum (stn 1) not sclerotised and with only a very slight suggestion of a medial ridge posteriorly; transverse ridge quite strong; with 4–7 fs prosternal setae (stn 1 s) on each side. Anteprosternal (astn 1 s) and antemesospiracular setae (am 2 s) absent.

Mesothorax: prescutum (prsc) rectangular, about 91 μm long (but posterior margin indistinct as fused with sclerotised scutum) and about 195 μm wide; with large reticulations/nodulations throughout; prescutal ridges (pscr) and prescutal suture (pscs) absent; with 8 fs near each lateral margin. Scutum (sct) without a median membranous area, this area sclerotised, with large reticulations/nodulations and separated from prescutum by an area of narrower reticulations; median area about 95 μm long and 132 μm wide; with 4 or 5 fs scutal setae (scts) on each side; lateral margins of scutum with large reticulations and with 7–9 fs setae on each side. Prealare ridge fairly weak. Scutellum (scl) 186 μm wide and 50 μm long; possibly tubular, with a large foramen; with 5–8 fs scutellar setae (scls) on each side. Basisternum (stn 2) 240 μm wide and 145 μm long; without any signs of a median ridge (mdr), but bounded ante- riorly by a strong marginal ridge (mr) and posteriorly by strong precoxal ridges (pcr 2); with 8–10 fs + 3 hs basisternal setae (stn 2 s) on each side; lateropleurite (lpl) short and narrow with a weak extension from marginal ridge anteriorly; with 2–6 setae close to lateral border of lateropleurite; furca (f) well developed, narrow-waisted, arms very divergent and extending almost to marginal ridge. Mesopostnotum (pn 2) and postnotal apophysis (pna) well developed. Area bounded anteriorly by scutellum and laterally and posteriorly by mesopostnotum not sclerotised. Mesepisternum (eps 2) not reticulated; with 5–11 fs + 0 or 1 hs mesepisternal setae (eps 2 s); subepisternal ridge well developed. Postalare (pa) not reticulated anteriorly; without postalare setae (pas). Mesothoracic spiracle (sp 2): peritreme 36 μm wide; without disc-pores. Postmesospiracular setae (pm 2 s): with 5–9 fs posterior to each mesospiracular spiracle. Tegula (teg) present, with 4 or 5 fs tegular setae (tegs) on each side.

Metathorax: with 1 pair metatergal setae (mts). Dorsospiracular setae (dss): 12 fs on each side. Dorsal part of metapleural ridge (plr 3) absent and without a suspensorial sclerite (ss). Ventral part of metapleural ridge well developed; metepisternum (eps 3) unsclerotised anteriorly, with 4–6 fs + 2 hs postmetaspiracular setae (eps 3 s) on either side. Metepimeron (epm 3) present but without setae. Antemetaspiracular setae (am 3 s) absent. Metathoracic spiracle (sp 3): width of peritreme 30–32 μm. Metasternum (stn 3) membranous; anterior metasternal setae (amss): 4 fs medially; posterior metasternal setae (pmss): 4 fs + 0–2 hs medially.

Wings: hyaline, about 1100 μm long and 425 μm wide (ratio of length to width 1:0.39; ratio of total body length to wing length 1:0.88); alar lobe (al) and alar setae (als) absent. Hamulohalteres absent.

Legs: legs subequal in length. Coxae (cx): I 78; II 83; III 78–83 μm long; setae of coxa III: about 5 fs + 1 hs; long apical setae on each coxa absent. Trochanter (tr) + femur (fm): I 186–200; II 202–207; III 198–207 μm long; trochanter III with 1 fs + 1 hs; long trochanter seta up to 53 μm long; femur III with about 11 fs + 6 hs. Tibia (ti): I 178–187; II 207–212; III 211–216 μm; tibia III with a total of about 42 setae, mainly fs with a few hs; with two distinct apical spurs (tibs), length 25–27 μm. Tarsi (ta): I 92; II 100; III 95 μm long (ratio of lenth of tibia III to tarsus III 1:0.45); tarsus III with 13 setae; tarsal campaniform pore present; tarsus each with 2 distinct spurs, each 15–17 μm long; tarsal digitules (tdt) unusual, as in family diagnosis. Claws (c) of unusual shape as in family diagnosis; length: III 31–35 μm; claw digitules (cdt) subequal in length to claw, with small apical knobs.

Abdomen: segments I–VII: tergites (at) of V–VII probably slightly sclerotised; sternites (as) unsclerotised. Caudal extension (ce) of segment VII absent. Dorsal setae (ads) (on each side): segments I–VII each with 2 or 3 hs. Pleural setae: dorsopleural setae (dps) (on each side): I–VII each with 4–6 hs; ventropleural setae (vps) (on each side): I–VII each with 1 hs. Ventral setae (avs) (on each side): II–VII each with 2 large + 1 small hs.

Segment VIII: tergite (at) distinctly sclerotised, with 1 large hs dorsal abdominal setae on each side; sternite (as) possibly unsclerotised; with a single ventral abdominal seta (avs); caudal extension (ce) small, with 2 small hs pleural setae. Glandular pouches (gp) present and shallow; length of glandular pouch setae 207–248 μm.

Genital segments: penial sheath (ps) apparently composed of a broad heavily sclerotised segment IX, 91 μm long and 91 μm wide; anus present medially on dorsum; and with 2 or 3 pairs of long hs ventro-laterally; segment IX separated from style by a moderately wide unsclerotised band or segmental membrane; style wide anteriorly, rapidly narrowing to a fine needle-like apex; style about half total length of penial sheath; style with 3 pairs of very long hs dorso-laterally on anterior half and with 2 pairs of small pores on narrow posterior part, one pair apically and other about half-way. Aedeagus bulbous anteriorly, quickly narrowing to a narrow needle-like proximal part but latter slightly wider and longer than penial sheath; basal rod broad distally but extending posteriorly and fading down length of aedeagus. Total length of style from posterior margin of IX 151 μm; width of style anteriorly 50 μm. Length of aedeagus 170 μm; length of basal rod approximately 58 μm.

Comment. For a comparison with P. multispinosus see under that species below.

Figures

FIGURE 47. Parastictococcus brachystegiae (Hall). Macropterous male. (Stictococcidae).