Puto Signoret

Han, Sarah I., 2011, A study of the scale insect genera Puto Signoret (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea: Putoidae) and Ceroputo Šulc (Pseudococcidae) with a comparison to Phenacoccus Cockerell (Pseudococcidae), Zootaxa 2802, pp. 1-22 : 11

Puto Signoret

Putonia Signoret, 1875: 341 . Type species: Putonia antennata Signoret , by monotypy. Homonym of Putonia Stål, 1872 , in Heteroptera.

Puto Signoret, 1876: 394 . Replacement name for Putonia Signoret, 1875 . Macrocerococcus Leonardi, 1907: 151 . Type species: Macrocerococcus superbus Leonardi , by original designation. Synonymy by Ferris, 1950.

The type species of Puto , now called P. antennatus (Signoret) , was described by Signoret from female specimens collected on Pinus cembra (Pinaceae) at Briançon and male specimens from Abies pectinata (Pinaceae) at Chambéry, both from the French Alps ( Reyne, 1954). Reyne (1954) produced a detailed redescription of most instars based on Signoret’s type material plus additional specimens from France and Bavaria, and provided notes on the biology of the species. The adult males described by Reyne (1954) have 12 eyes on the head and the aedeagus is a curved rod with a rounded apex. The genus Macrocerococcus was erected for a species, now called P. superbus (Leonardi) , described from Sardinia but now considered a polyphagous species distributed throughout much of the Palaearctic Region ( Łagowska, 2000; Marotta & Tranfaglia, 1993). Ferris (1950) treated the name Macrocerococcus as a junior synonym of Puto , and we agree with this synonymy. However, in agreement with Tang (1992) and Hardy et al. (2008), we reject the synonymy of Ceroputo with Puto , a taxonomic action attributable to Ferris (1918). We also reject Kawai’s (1980) synonymy of Leococcus Kanda with Puto , as discussed below under the taxonomic notes on Ceroputo .

Diagnostic features. Adult female: eye height usually as great as length of first antennal segment; antennae usually with 9 segments, rarely with 8; antennal intersegmental sensilla present between segments III–IV, IV–V and VI–VII; each surface of trochanter with 2–5 (usually 3 or 4) campaniform sensilla; claw usually with pair of basal spurs; claw digitules often capitate but tarsal digitules almost never capitate; at least 18 pairs of cerarii on sclerotised plates, if more pairs present, increase due to division of cerarii on certain segments; long tubular ducts almost always present on frons (anterior to mouthparts); multilocular pores present on venter (except in P. peyerinhoffi ); quinquelocular pores absent (except in P. peyerinhoffi ); trilocular pores usually of 3 sizes, ventral pores smallest, dorsal pores noticeably larger, cerarian pores slightly larger than dorsal pores. Third-instar female: resembles adult female but with 8-segmented antennae, 2–3 campaniform sensilla on each surface of trochanter, fewer pores and ducts and a non-functional vulva. First-instar nymph: 7-segmented antennae; multilocular pores with>5 loculi. Adult male: row of 8–15 (usually 14) eyes surrounding head, plus a pair of lateral ocelli; with one pair of lateral filaments near apex of abdomen (each filament from glandular pouch on each side of abdominal segment VIII); penial sheath 1-segmented, apex of aedeagus either bifid or simple ( Reyne, 1954; Beardsley, 1962; Miller & Miller, 1993b; Hodgson & Foldi, 2006).