Crypticerya mexicana Cockerell & Parrott, 1899

Unruh, Corinne M. & Gullan, Penny J., 2008, Identification guide to species in the scale insect tribe Iceryini (Coccoidea: Monophlebidae), Zootaxa 1803 (1), pp. 1-106 : 33-34

Crypticerya mexicana Cockerell & Parrott

Crypticerya rosae mexicana Cockerell & Parrott in Cockerell (1899b: 4).

Palaeococcus mexicanus (Cockerell & Parrott) ; Cockerell (1902a: 233).

Steatococcus mexicanus (Cockerell & Parrott) ; Ferris (1921: 69) [not Morrison (1928: 218) as in Ben-Dov (2005: 272)]. Crypticerya mexicana ; Unruh & Gullan (2008: 26).

Unmounted material. Appearance of adult female unknown.

Slide-mounted material. Adult female elliptical to oval, 5.1–7.7 mm long, 3.6–5.5 mm wide. Antennae 11 segmented. Eyes, mouthparts and legs as for tribe. Thoracic spiracles as for genus; derm at atrial opening with 5–15 multilocular pores with bilocular centre and 6–8 outer loculi. Dense robust hair-like setae, 60–80 µm long, covering dorsal surface and slightly finer setae covering ventral marginal to submarginal head and thorax and scattered across ventral abdomen; longest robust hair-like setae forming marginal clusters and longest at posterior. Flagellate setae as for genus. Multilocular pores, each 12–14 µm in diameter, with bilocular or trilocular centre and 6–12 outer loculi, scattered across dorsal surface, forming marginal clusters and scattered on ventral marginal to submarginal head and thorax and across ventral abdomen. Marsupium present, shaped as for genus; marsupial band formed by dense, short, robust hair-like setae, each 50–80 µm long, and by simple multilocular pores with bilocular or trilocular centre and 6–9 outer loculi. Simple multilocular pores, each 10–11 µm in diameter, with bilocular (sometimes trilocular) centre and 4–6 outer loculi, scattered on ventromedial to submedial head and thorax. Vulvar opening as for genus, surrounded by typical multilocular pores, each 12–13 µm in diameter, with elongate or bilocular centre and 8–12 outer loculi. Cicatrices oval to hourglass-shaped, numbering 3, subequal in size. Abdominal spiracles as for genus; derm around atrial opening with cluster of 6–10 multilocular pores, each 12–13 µm in diameter, with bilocular or trilocular centre and 8–12 outer loculi. Anal ring as for genus; anal opening surrounded by robust hair-like setae and typical multilocular pores, each 10–11 µm in diameter, with elongate centre and 8–12 outer loculi.

First-instar nymph as for genus, except each abdominal segment with one submarginal pore, one submedial pore and one medial pore, and antennae with short setae.

Type data. MEXICO: Aguas Calientes , ex Prosopis sp. , 1.v.1898 (Townsend) .

Type material. Lectotype here designated: 3 rd- instar nymph, “ Palaeococcus / mexicanus Ckll. / On Prosopis ,/(mesquite)/ Aguas Calientes ,/ Mexico / Townsend-Barber / Gentary #61, 74/ Rec’d July 1903 ” ( USNM) . Paralectotypes: 3 1 st -instar nymphs (same slide as lectotype); ca. 30 1st-instar nymphs and embryos (1 slide, same data as lectotype, except “75” instead of “74”) ( USNM) ; 9 1 st -instar nymphs (one slide), “ Icerya /mexicana/Ckll./at/ Aguascalientes /on Prospies [sic]/ May 1 ‘ Tounsend’ [sic]” ( BME) ; dry material ( USNM).

Other material examined. ad ♀, 3 rd -instar nymph, 2 nd -instar nymph, MEXICO: Aguas Calientes , ex Acacia 12.ii.1909 (E.A. Schwartz) (ad ♀ at USNM, 3 rd -instar & 2 nd -instar at BME); ad ♀, Cusulta, ex Mimosa (Koebele Collection Coccidae, No. 1612 ) ( BME) .

Taxonomic notes. Crypticerya mexicana is easily distinguished from other Crypticerya species by the presence of dense, robust short setae on the dorsal surface. Refer to the C. mexicana group for a discussion of similar species.

Cockerell and Parrott originally placed this species in the genus Crypticerya because they did not see an ovisac. In many cases, immature specimens were placed in Crypticerya sensu Cockerell because of the apparent absence of an ovisac or marsupium. The lectotype of this species is partially destroyed and we cannot see the posterior abdomen, but there are no signs of a marsupium. The legs, antennae, apical setae and marginal setae are broken on the paralectotype first-instar nymphs. This description of the adult female and that of the antennae, legs and setal length of the first-instar nymph are based on non-type material. We believe the specimens we examined are conspecific because they were collected at the same locality as the original material.