Pityococcus moniliformalis, Vea & Grimaldi, 2015

Vea, Isabelle M. & Grimaldi, David A., 2015, Diverse new scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) in amber from the Cretaceous and Eocene with a phylogenetic framework for fossil Coccoidea, American Museum Novitates 2015 (3823), pp. 1-80 : 32-34

Pityococcus moniliformalis , new species

Figure 8

TYPE LOCALITY: Russia: Palmnicken / Yantaryni mines, on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. Eocene .

TYPE: Holotype AMNH Ba-Ve762, alate male in a 5 × 5 × 1 mm square, light orange, transparent polished amber piece; specimen in good preservation with some internal organs visible through transparent cuticle, lying on a layer, with one wing well spread and one folded, white milky layers obstructing some parts, such as the head area; accessible views: ventral and dorsal (fig. 8AB). Baltic amber, Palmnicken mines in Yantaryni , on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea , Russia. Purchased from Jurgen Velten Baltic amber coll., deposited at the American Museum of Natural History.

ETYMOLOGY: The epithet moniliformalis is composed of the Latin monile, meaning “necklace” or “collar” and the adjective formalis derived from forma, meaning “shape.” This refers to the round, beadlike antennal segments.

DIAGNOSIS: Pityococcus moniliformalis differs from Pityococcus sp. in Hodgson and Foldi (2006) by the following characters: length of antennal segments proportionally shorter than Pityococcus sp. ( Hodgson and Foldi, 2006); large bristle on antennal segment VIII absent (vs. present); tarsal digitule finely clavate and long (vs. absent).

DESCRIPTION: Body small, total length 1.13 mm long, widest at mesothorax, 315 μm. Head (fig. 8CD): Almost round, 205 μm wide, 145 long. Dorsal median crest absent, postoccipital suture absent, setae not observed. Ocular sclerite broad, extending as a wide lateral band and meeting ventrally; ocular sclerite with five pairs of simple eyes along anterior margin; ventral and dorsal eyes larger than lateral eyes (30 μm and 20 μm wide respectively), ventral eyes not joining medially; ocelli present laterally. Ventral part of epicranium with wide ventral medial crest, with ca. 10 setae. Setae also present on the rest of ventral part of epicranium, anteriorly. Ventral midcranial ridge present, extending to posterior end of head. Antenna (fig. 8G): 9-segmented, total length 305–375 μm; lengths of segments (in μm) scape 25; pedicel 50; flagellar segments III to X all round, subequal in length; II 30–45; IV 35–45; V 35–45; VI 35–40; VII 30–45; VIII 30–40; IX 35–40. Each segment with hairlike setae (15-20 μm long) and very short fleshy setae (6–10 μm long), all shorter than segment width. Apical segment with 4 capitate setae (ca. 35 μm), 3 large bristles (25–30 μm) and some hairlike setae of the same length as on other flagellar segments. Thorax (fig. 8EF): Head and thorax separated by a slight neck constriction. Prothorax well developed but membranous. Prosternal ridge present, bifurcating posteriorly, with a pair of setae. Dorsally: prescutum strongly sclerotized, oval and broad (124 μm wide, 77 μm long), not completely separated from scutum, setae difficult to see. Scutum with a pair of membranous areas laterally. Scutellum quadrangular, anterior margin shorter than posterior margin, 55 μm long, 85 μm (anterior margin) to 140 μm (posterior margin) wide, divided by a median ridge, with a pair of scutellar setae. Ventrally: basisternum (135 μm long, 175 μm wide) without a median ridge, with ca. 20 basisternal setae. Anterior part of basisternum shorter than posterior part. Wings (fig. 8A): Oval, with a medium base, distal width smaller than proximal width; 780 μm long and 415 μm widest; subcostal ridge extending from the base of the wing to more than 3/4 wing length. Additionally to subcostal ridge, only cubital ridge present. Alar setae and sensoria not observed, microtrichia present across wing surface Alar lobe present. Hamulohalteres not detected, but probably present. Legs (fig. 8H): Subequal in length, cuticular reticulations absent; prolegs: coxa triangular, 50–60 μm long, trochanter and femur fused, 145–155 μm long, with hairlike setae; tibia: 80–90 μm long, with hairlike setae becoming spinelike ventrally; tarsus 2-segmented, 85 μm long, tarsal digitules present and thinly clavate; claw thin but strong, 25 μm long, with spinose claw digitules, denticle present. Abdomen: Cylindrical (505 μm long, 365 μm long without genial segment; 170 μm widest). Tergites and sternites well developed, mostly membranous, segmentation easy to delineate. With a pair of long setae on each side of each abdominal segment dorsally, a few short setae ventrally. Ostioles detected on abdominal segment VI by a slight enlargement on posterior part. Glandular pouches not directly observed. Genital segment (fig. 8I): penial sheath small (65 μm wide, 105 μm long), almost parallel sided anteriorly for more than 1/3 of length, with few short setae. Aedeagus broader than tip of penial sheath. Endophallus everted, covered with small spines.

Apticoccidae , new family

TYPE GENUS: Apticoccus Koteja and Azar, 2008 ; by present designation.

FAMILY DIAGNOSIS (macropterous male): Apticoccidae differs from Turonicoccus and Electrococcus by the combination of the following characters: body especially small (less than 800 μm long) (vs. larger); head narrow; antennae 10-segmented, with scape almost meeting anteriorly (vs. not meeting medially); antennal segments shorter distally (vs. of almost equal length), with fleshy setae on flagellar segments and forming a brush on apical segment (vs. not forming a brush); capitate setae absent (vs. present); ocular sclerite with a row of six simple eyes on each side, ventral eyes located more posteriorly than dorsal eyes and meeting on venter, with a V-shaped appearance; scutellum rectangular and transversely narrow; legs with two finely clavate tarsal digitules, each longer than claw without claw digitules or claw denticles; wings with subcostal and cubital ridges originating at base of wing; surface of wing with microtrichia; hamulohalteres broad (vs. narrow in Turonicoccus ), with two hamuli; penial sheath elongate and pointed, at least 1/7 body length (vs. short and triangular).

GENUS INCLUDED: Apticoccus Koteja and Azar, 2008 .

COMMENTS: Koteja and Azar (2008) tentatively classified Apticoccus in the family Electrococcidae . This family was created by Koteja (2000b) after the author described the genus Turonicoccus Koteja from New Jersey amber and suggested that this genus and Electrococcus , described from Canadian amber ( Beardsley, 1969), belong to the same family. The assignment of Apticoccus to Electrococcidae is, however, uncertain, according to Koteja and Azar (2008), probably because of the poorly preserved holotype. Based on newly studied material, we are creating the new family Apticoccidae for Apticoccus , based on the following differences with Turonicoccus and Electrococcus : head small and generally narrower than thorax (vs. head as large as thoracic structures), antennae without short, fleshy setae or capitate setae (vs. capitate setae and presence of short fleshy setae in Turonicoccus ), apical segments with bristles forming a brush (vs. absent), one tarsal segment (vs. two tarsal segments), scutellum rectangular, transverse and narrow (vs. enlarged rectangular scutellum), penial sheath spinelike (vs. shorter triangular penial sheath). The phylogenetic analysis retrieved Apticoccidae as an independent, monophyletic lineage, sister group to all neococcoid families. Furthermore, Apticoccus was not found to be related to either Turonicoccus or Electrococcus .

Figures

FIGURE 8. Pityococcus moniliformalis, n. sp., holotype AMNH Ba-Ve762. Photomicrographs of (A) Dorsal and (B) ventral surfaces. Details of (C) dorsal and (D) ventral views of head. (E) Dorsal view of mesothorax. (F) Basisternum. (G) Antenna. (H) Leg. (I) Ventral view of penial sheath.