Acanthococcus Signoret 1875

Tanaka, Hirotaka & Kamitani, Satoshi, 2023, Two new species of Eriococcidae (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) in Japan, Zootaxa 5244 (4), pp. 387-395 : 388

Genus Acanthococcus Signoret 1875

Type species: Acanthococcus aceris Signoret 1875

Genus diagnosis of adult female (adapted and slightly modified from Kozár et al. 2013). Ovisac ovoid, feltlike, white or gray, completely enclosing body of female. Adult female elongate-oval, narrowed posteriorly, with anal lobes conical and normally heavily sclerotized, sometimes strongly nodulose with sclerotized teeth on inner margin. Antennae 6, 7, or rarely 8 segmented; frontal lobes or tubercles usually present. Labium 3 segmented, with 2 well-developed distal segments; basal segment weakly developed and sclerotized with 2 pairs of hair-like setae; stylets short or very long, forming a double loop. Legs well developed, mid-coxa and hind coxa often with spinules on anterior surface, claw usually with a denticle; tarsal and claw digitules longer than claw, knobbed. Spiracles often each with a few associated multilocular disc pores; multilocular disc pores present on venter only, usually quinquelocular, but number of loculi varies between 3 and 9; oval disc pores (or cruciform pores) absent from dorsum, but often present on ventral surface of prosoma in a marginal band. Tubular ducts of 2 types, micro- and macrotubular ducts; microtubular ducts slender, scattered, or forming transverse rows or bands across dorsum, often associated with dorsal conical setae; macrotubular ducts often of 2 or 3 sizes, usually forming transverse rows or bands across body surfaces. Enlarged conical setae normally present at least on dorsal margin but often over entire dorsum, where they form transverse bands or rows; hair-like or flagellate setae present on venter only. Anal ring well developed, sclerotized with a partly double row of pores and usually 8 (rarely 6 or 10) anal ring setae each usually shorter than apical seta on anal lobe; each anal lobe with a long apical seta and usually with 3 short dorsal enlarged conical setae, seldom with more but at least with 2, ventral flagellate setae also present; cauda (median dorsal plate) usually well developed, but rarely absent.

Remarks. The genus Acanthococcus is similar to Gossyparia Signoret 1875 in having enlarged conical setae present on most areas of the dorsum. It differs from Gossyparia in having dorsal macrotubular ducts present on most parts of dorsum, not restricted to the body margin, whereas Gossyparia has dorsal macrotubular ducts present mostly confined to the body margin.