Aleyrodes laurisilvae Hernández-Suárez and Martin, 2012

Hernández-Suárez, Estrella, Martin, Jon H., Gill, Raymond J., Bedford, Ian D., Malumphy, Christopher P., Betancort, J. Alfredo Reyes & Carnero, Aurelio, 2012, 3212, Zootaxa 3212, pp. 1-76 : 12-13

Aleyrodes laurisilvae Hernández-Suárez and Martin sp. n.

( Figure 8 and 47)

PUPARIUM ( Fig. 8). Habitus. The immature stages occur in dense colonies under leaves of the host plants and are covered by a fine, white waxy secretions. Cuticle is creamy with a longitudinal dark patch in median area. Margin. Outline broadly oval. 1.0 mm long, 0.7mm wide [n=10], generally widest at abdominal segment I. Margin crenate with thoracic tracheal pore areas not differentiated. Dorsum. Longitudinal moulting suture reaching puparial margin; transverse moulting sutures almost reaching submarginal area. Submedian/subdorsal area of dorsal disc smooth; abdominal segmentation and meso-metathoracic division well marked and abdominal segment VII not significantly reduced in length medially. Vasiform orifice rounded-cordate, slightly elevated with inner margin lobate, inset from puparial margin by its own length; operculum laterally-rounded trapezoidal, occupying half of vasiform orifice, its posterior margin finely setose; lingula head rounded and expanded, exposed but not extending beyond posterior margin of vasiform orifice. Caudal furrow faintly defined. Chaetotaxy. Anterior and posterior marginal setae present and very short. Normal dorsal disc chaetotaxy comprises single submedian pairs of cephalic, eighth abdominal and first abdominal setae all of similar length, very short; eighth abdominal setae placed lateral to vasiform orifice; a pair of marginally-placed caudal setae present plus a row of fourteen tiny submarginal setae on each side of puparium. Pores. Simple pores of the geminate pore/porette type present in median area of abdominal segments and submargin, arranged in irregular rows; each porette at some distance from disc pore. Venter. Cuticle smooth, diaphanous. Ventral abdominal setae underlying vasiform orifice. Legs bisegmental and with apical adhesion pads directed anteriorly on the fore legs, and posteriorly on the middle and hind legs. Middle and hind legs each with a tiny basal seta. Antennal bases anteromesad of fore legs and extending beyond prothoracic legs. Thoracic tracheal folds unpunctuated, but caudal tracheal fold faintly marked.

Material examined: Holotype puparium—TENERIFE: Barranco de las Moradas, near Icod de los Vinos [approx. 300–500m] 18.v.1997 (J.H. Martin #7052) on Canarina canariensis (Campanulaceae) ( BMNH). Paratypes: 34

puparia, 7 third-instar nymphs, 1 second-instar nymph, 8 adults, same data as holotype; duplicate dry puparial and adult material on leaves, same data ( BMNH); Las Mercedes, 7.vi.1997 (E. Hdez.) on Canarina canariensis ; Güímar, 21.vii.1996 (E. Hdez.) on Crambe strigosa (Brassicaceae) ; Erjos, 6.iv.1997 (E. Hdez.) on C. canariensis ; Cuevas Negras, 29.vi.1997 (E. Hdez.) on C. canariensis ; Barranco Moradas, 18.v.1997 (E. Hdez.) on C. canariensis , same data but 6.iv.1997 (E. Hdez.) on C. strigosa and C. canariensis ; Barranco de los Cochinos, 21.i.1995 (E. Hdez.) on C. canariensis ; Barranco Badajoz, 25.i.1998 (E. Hdez.) on C. canariensis , same data but 11.i.1998 on C. canariensis , 1.xii.1996 on C. canariensis . LA GOMERA: San Sebastián, 15.vi.1997 (E. Hdez.) on Tolpis sp. (Asteraceae) , LA PALMA: Los Tilos, 21.vi.1997 (E. Hdez.) on Crambe santosi and C. canariensis (BMNH, TFMC-ENTOMO, USNM) .

Etymology: All the known host plants of this species are from the laurisilva vegetation zone, leading to our choice of name.

Comments: Originally misidentified as A. singularis Danzig (1964) by Martin and listed as such by Hernández- Suárez (1999), Hernández-Suárez & Oromí (2004) and Martin et al. (2000: 428, 448), this species is in fact only particularly similar to A. singularis in its habitus characteristics (see below). Aleyrodes laurisilvae is differentiated from A. singularis by the shorter dorsal setae and a less rounded vasiform orifice.

Material from the type series of A. singularis [Republic of Georgia, on Euphorbia ], as well as material in BMNH from Lactuca spp. from other locations, has been studied: although with some variation, long hair-like dorsal setae are always present in A. singularis ( Fig. 9).

In the field, puparia of A. laurisilvae have a dark infuscation in the median region of dorsum, and dense colonies develop under leaves and colonies of immature stages are covered by white waxy powder, this habitus appearance closely resembling that of A. singularis and leading to the earlier misidentification ( Fig. 47).