Arctorthezia helvetica Kozar & Szita

Szita, Eva, Kaydan, Mehmet Bora, Benedicty, Zsuzsanna Konczne, Tanaka, Hirotaka, Fetyko, Kinga & Kozar, Ferenc, 2015, The genus Arctorthezia Cockerell (Hemiptera, Ortheziidae) with the description of a new species, ZooKeys 472, pp. 59-75 : 62

Taxon classification Animalia Hemiptera Ortheziidae

Arctorthezia helvetica Kozar & Szita sp. n. Figs 1, 5a, 6 a–b

Material.

Type material: Holotype female Switzerland, Valais, s/Venayaz, 700 m a.s.l., 7.x.1980, leg. C. Besuchet [PPI 8864, MHNG without code]. Paratypes female: 6 adult females with the same data as holotype, on separate slides.

Other material examined: 3 adult females on separate slides, Switzerland, Valais, Dorenaz, oak, 28.iii.1964, leg. C. Besuchet [PPI 8862, MHNG without code].

Description.

Live adult female: dorsum with 9 pairs dorsal wax plates in each marginal row, 8 pairs in each submedian band, and 3 triangular or shield-shaped plates in middle of thorax. Ovisac short, about half length of body (Fig. 5a).

Slide-mounted adult female (Figs 1, 6 a–b). Body elongate oval, 2.124‒2.719 mm long, 1.425‒1.942 mm wide. Antenna 7 segmented. Measurements of antennal segments: 1st 180‒230, 2nd 183‒209, 3rd 96‒117, 4th 84‒107, 5th 76‒92, 6th 76‒96 and apical 204‒220 mm long, apical spine of antenna 22‒24 mm long, subapical seta absent; fleshy sensory seta near apical seta 22‒24 mm long; all segments of antenna covered with very robust, spine-like setae, the longest 17 mm long; first antennal segment with 4 spines on each side of segment. Eyes sub-conical, well separated from base of first antennal segment.

Venter: Labium 260‒285 mm long, apparently one segmented. Stylet loop usually longer than labium. Legs well developed; leg measurements: front coxa 155‒189 mm, middle 155‒189 mm, hind 188‒204 mm; front trochanter+femur 546‒577 mm long, middle 548‒572 mm, hind 597‒650 mm; front tibia+tarsus 700‒722 mm long, middle 679‒740 mm, hind 804‒866 mm; claw 74‒89 mm long; hind claw digitules each 15‒21 mm. Legs with rows of robust spine-like setae, tibia with fleshy sensory seta 24 mm long, trochanter with 4 placoid sensilla on each surface. Wax plates present on ventral areas of head and thorax, with wide marginal plate laterad of each thoracic spiracle; two wax plates present between mid-coxae, both triangular, almost same size (Fig. 6a). Thoracic spiracle with wide band of disc pores inside atrium. Setae few, scattered in medial areas of thorax; several setae near anterior edge of ovisac band and associated with simple pores. Ovisac band wide, parallel side in the middle, with 4 spine rows within ovisac band. Multilocular pores with 4 loculi around perimeter, each loculus 4‒5 mm in diameter and 1 loculus in central hub, 3 mm in diameter; pores present in 3 complete bands near posterior edges of each spine band, and scattered around vulva.

Dorsum: Wax plates covering entire dorsum; three triangular wax plates on mid-dorsum, anteriormost 185‒190 mm wide, 135‒150 mm long; middle 250‒270 mm wide, 150‒160 mm long; posteriormost 260‒280 mm wide, 170‒180 mm long (Fig. 6b). Spines at margin of each wax plate each 22‒24 mm long, apically capitate. A few setae present in marginal clusters near posterior edges of marginal wax plates; 3‒6 setae present laterad of thoracic spiracle, longest seta 24 mm long; also present in very small numbers on other wax plates and in medial bare area. Multilocular pores generally with 4 loculi around perimeter and one loculus in central hub, sparsely present in wax plates. Abdominal spiracles numbering 8 pairs on the margin, last 3 pairs situated in posterior apical spine clusters. Anal ring 108‒120 mm long, 108‒120 wide, bearing 6 blunt anal ring setae, each 156‒192 mm long.

Etymology.

he species was named after the ancient name of its locus typicus, Switzerland (Helvetia).

Distribution.

Switzerland.

Ecology.

Host plant: unknown, found in leaf litter and soil samples.

Diagnosis.

Arctorthezia helvetica sp. n. can be recognized by the following combination of characters: (i) 7-segmented antennae, (ii) dorsal triangle-shaped mid-thoracic setal plates hardly wider than long (iii) the proportion of simple pores and quadrilocular pores distal to vulva ca. 1:15, (iv) diamond-shape setal plate between mid-coxae on venter.

Comments.

Arctorthezia helvetica sp. n. is closest to Arctorthezia occidentalis in having 4 spine rows within the ovisac band and lacking circular pore clusters on the dorsum, but differs from Arctorthezia occidentalis as follows (characters of Arctorthezia occidentalis in brackets): (i) adult female body length less than 3 mm (adult female body length at least 3.5 mm); (ii) the fourth spine row within ovisac band weak (the fourth spine row within ovisac band strong); (iii) the proportion of simple pores to quadrilocular pores distal to vulva ca. 1:15 (the proportion of simple pores to quadrilocular pores distal to vulva ca. 1:6); (iv) dorsal triangle-shaped mid-thoracic setal plates hardly wider than long (dorsal triangle-shaped mid-thoracic setal plates more than two times wider than long).