Cerococcus kalmiae Ferris

Chris J. Hodgson & Douglas J. Williams, 2016, (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha, Coccomorpha) with particular reference to species from the Afrotropical, western Palaearctic and western Oriental Regions, with the revival of Antecerococcus Green and description of a new genus and fifteen new species, and with ten new synonomies, Zootaxa 4091 (1), pp. 1-175 : 159

Cerococcus kalmiae Ferris

Cerococcus kalmiae Ferris 1955: 36 .

Type details. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Pennsylvania, on Kalmia latifolia (Ericaceae) , G. Rau. Depository: BME: lectotype adf (designated by Lambdin & Kosztarab 1977: 136) + 1 paralectotype adf together on 1 slide and 1/2 paralectotype adff.

Mounted material. USA, Haverford, Pennsylvania, on “mountain laurel” ( Kalmia latifolia , Ericaceae ), 29.i.1938, S.W. Bromley (BMNH): 1/1adf (g); Pennsylvania, Haverford, 29.i.1938, Estate of Judge W. Schagger, Col, Robertson (BMNH): 1/3 (g).

Comment. The number of transverse rows of multilocular disc-pores in the illustration of this species by Lambdin and Kosztarab (1977) is unclear as a line is missing. In fact, there are multilocular disc-pores on abdominal segments II–VIII inclusive and medially across the metathorax. In addition, Lambdin & Kosztarab indicate that they found minute leg stubs but we did not locate these on the specimens listed above. Like C. deklei and C. russellae , C. kalmiae has its 8-shaped pores on the dorsum arranged in a lattice-like pattern, as also found in species of Cerochiton . However, the structure of the apices of the stigmatic pore bands is very different from that on Cerochiton species, and C. kalmiae has the broader tubular ducts on the dorsum restricted to just anterior to the anal plate and so has only one size of dorsal tubular ducts medially on the cephalothorax.

The adult female of C. kalmiae is characterised by the following combination of character-states: (i) 8-shaped pores on dorsum in a lattice-like pattern; (ii) 8-shaped pores on dorsum of two sizes, both quite small; (iii) larger pores restricted to near stigmatic pore bands and along margins; smaller 8-shaped pores frequent elsewhere on dorsum; (iv) cribriform plates present in a transverse band of 17–32 on abdominal segment IV; (v) tubular ducts of two sizes, broader ducts restricted to posterior abdominal segments; narrower ducts frequent elsewhere; (vi) multilocular disc-pores present in narrow bands one or two pores wide across abdominal segments II–VIII and metathorax; (vii) stigmatic pore bands bifurcated; (viii) stigmatic pore bands with few spiracular disc-pores, and (ix) leg stubs perhaps present (Lambdin & Kosztarab) or absent (here).

In the key to adult females of Cerococcus , C. kalmiae keys out closest to C. tuberculus from Brazil.