Ceroplastes hodgsoni (Matile-Ferrero & Le Ruyet)

Hodgson, Chris J. & Peronti, Ana L. B. G., 2012, 3372, Zootaxa 3372, pp. 1-265 : 174-176

Ceroplastes hodgsoni (Matile-Ferrero & Le Ruyet)

( Fig. 78; Map fig. 105)

Gascardia hodgsoni Matile-Ferrero & Le Ruyet, 1985: 262 .

Ceroplastes hodgsoni (Matile-Ferrero & Le Ruyet) ; Ben-Dov, 1993: 38.

Material examined: Holotype + paratype ♀, Côte d’Ivoire, Tai , on Cleistanthus polystachyus , 26.i.1978, G. Couturier ( MNHN 7518-4 ): 1/2 (holotype good, paratype fair).

Unmounted material. “Femelle adulte subsphérique, recouverte d’un revêtement cireux blachâtre, épais.” ( Matile-Ferrero & Ruyet, 1985: 262)

Mounted material. Body probably rather roundly oval and convex, with distinct, quite deep, stigmatic clefts; dorsum with small lateral tubercles. Caudal process short, placed posteriorly on dorsum. Length about 1.3–1.8 mm, width 1.25–1.38 mm.

Dorsum. Derm membranous except for heavily sclerotised caudal process. Caudal process about 350–600 µm long; width across flattened process 410–570 µm. Derm with 8 clear areas, each with many dorsal setae. Dorsal setae each very short, subequal to or much shorter than width of basal socket, length 1.5–3.0 µm long; basal socket width 4–5 µm; setae rather variable in shape, mostly with convergent sides with a blunt apex but a few almost pointed; quite abundant and present in all clear areas. Dorsal pores: (i) loculate microducts of rusci-type, each about 5–6 µm widest; pores with 2 or more satellite loculi not detected; pores abundant throughout but absent from all clear areas; wax-plate lines not detected, and (ii) simple microducts, each with a very small orifice 1 µm or less wide, present in clear areas. Preopercular pores rather abundant, with 36–44 in a band about 2 or 3 pores wide extending along anterior margin and a little way down each posterior margin; each pore 3–4 µm wide. Anal plates rounded; length of plates 155–160 µm, width of both plates 130–140 µm; each with 3 long dorsal setae. Details of anogenital fold, anal ring and anal tube unknown.

Margin. Marginal setae stoutly setose, each 13–15 µm long, number around margin uncertain but few; each anal lobe with 1–4 long rather spinose setae, longest about 65 µm long. Stigmatic clefts quite deep, each with a group of blunt, apically rounded, conical stigmatic setae extending in a broad group onto dorsum; with 36–60 in each group, with 1 significantly larger towards dorsal edge of group; smallest setae about 7 µm long and 5 µm wide at base, most about 8 µm long and 6 µm wide, but largest seta 15 µm long and 8–12 µm wide at base. Eyespots each about 33–35 µm wide.

Venter. Derm entirely membranous. Pregenital disc-pores abundant around genital opening (segment VII) and across preceding segment, absent from more anterior segments. Spiracular disc-pores present in a narrow band near spiracles, broadening almost to width of stigmatic clefts marginally; each band with 30–50 pores; with none mesad to peritremes. Ventral microducts as usual but very sparse medially on abdomen. Ventral tubular ducts absent on head; present associated with anogenital fold but few, only 2 noted, each without an inner ductule, outer ductule about 15–17 µm long. Submarginal setae each 8–10 µm long and much more abundant than marginal setae.

Antennae each 6 segmented, segment III without any sign of pseudo-articulations; total length 190–195 µm. Clypeolabral shield 145–160 µm long. Spiracles: width of peritremes 50–53 µm. Legs well developed, each without a tibio-tarsal articulatory sclerosis; each claw with hint of a denticle; claw digitules narrower than on some Ceroplastes species and shorter than tarsal digitules; dimensions of metathoracic legs (µm): coxa 86–88; trochanter + femur 120–122; tibia 73–80; tarsus 58–63, and claw 19–20.

Discussion. The adult females of C. hodgsoni differ from all others in this species-group in the very small size of the dorsal setae, which are present in all the dorsal clear areas, in having all loculate microducts of the ruscitype, none apparently with 2 or more satellite loculi, and in having few spiracular disc pores.

C. hodgsoni is currently only known from Côte d’Ivoire on Cleistanthus polystachyus (Euphorbiaceae) .