Xenococcus, Silvestri 1924

Hodgson, Chris, 2012, Comparison of the morphology of the adult males of the rhizoecine, phenacoccine and pseudococcine mealybugs (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea), with the recognition of the family Rhizoecidae Williams 3291, Zootaxa 3291 (1), pp. 1-79 : 60

XENOCOCCUS Silvestri 1924

Xenococcus Silvestri, 1924: 312 .

Type species: Xenococcus annandalei Silvestri , by monotypy.

Introduction. At present, five species of Xenococcus are known ( Schneider & LaPolla, 2011), but only the male of X. acropygae Williams has been described ( Williams, 1998) ( Fig. 22 ). If this is typical of the males of this genus, it appears to be significantly different from other rhizoecine males and is easily separated from the other species in Xenococcini by the presence of: (i) spine-like claw digitules; (ii) very short 1-segmented antennae; (iii) presence of a lobe (caudal extension?) on abdominal segment VIII with 3 spine-like setae, and (iv) sclerotised thoracic segments. This suggests that the Xenococcinae might be divisable into two tribes, one to include Eumyrmococcus and Neochavesia and the other for just Xenococcus . However, because the male of only one species is currently known, no action is being taken here.

Figures

FIGURE 22. Xenococcus acropygae Williams. Adult male. Where A = minute setae; K = side and lateral view of claw; L = ventral view of penial sheath, N = side view of posterior end of abdomen; M = lobes of abdominal segment VIII, and Q = antenna. For other labels, see under Materials and methods: conventions. (Modified after Williams, 1998).