Ceroplastes brachystegiae Hodgson

Hodgson, Chris J. & Peronti, Ana L. B. G., 2012, 3372, Zootaxa 3372, pp. 1-265 : 28-30

Ceroplastes brachystegiae Hodgson

( Fig. 23; Map fig. 103)

Ceroplastes brachystegiae Hodgson, 1969a: 3

Ceroplastes brachystegiae Hodgson ; Ben-Dov, 1993: 22.

Material examined: Holotype, Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), Mutare [Umtali], 2.xi.1965, on Brachystegia sp. , C.J. Hodgson ( BMNH): 1/1 (good).

Also : Democratic Republic of the Congo, on an unknown plant, 18.vii.1938, J. Ghesquière ( MNHN): 1/1 (fair) .

Note. Description made from type specimen.

Unmounted material. "Test of the adult female white, with brown to reddish brown radiating areas; more or less oval in shape, but with the posterior end rather flattened. Dorsally, there is a small central dome with a ring of brown stain, in the centre of which is a longitudinal indentation carrying the dorsal boss; surrounding this area is a further area with brown radiations, which are more obvious towards the posterior end. Laterally there are faint indications of plates. The stigmatic bands are very clear white, and there are also whiter areas at the anterior end and 2 more directed posteriorly at the sides of the posterior end. Length 5 mm, height 3.5 mm and breadth 4 mm." "With waxy test removed, the adult female is elliptical, and produced dorsally into a blunt apical process; the cephalic and lateral processes are barely indicated by knobules; the caudal process is heavily sclerotised and is directed posteriorly, but is fairly short." ( Hodgson, 1969a: 3).

Mounted material. Body roundly oval and convex, with distinct but shallow stigmatic clefts; dorsum with distinct lateral tubercles. Caudal process quite short and probably pointing posteriorly. Length without caudal process 4.0 mm, with caudal process 4.68 mm; width across venter about 2.25 mm; total width on slide 3.0 mm; caudal process about 625 µm wide at base and about 675 µm long.

Dorsum. Derm membranous except for caudal process which is heavily sclerotised. Derm with 8 small clear areas, each without setae. Dorsal setae each bluntly spinose and about 5–8 µm long, usually about twice as long as width of basal socket; basal socket width 4–5 µm; fairly frequent throughout but absent in clear areas. Dorsal pores: (i) loculate microducts of intermediate type, each with mainly 2 or 3 satellite loculi (microducts with 1 satellite loculus very sparse, those with 4 loculi absent); microducts with 2 satellite loculi with a narrow primary loculus, latter becoming rather triangular with 3 loculi; those with 2 satellite loculi about twice as frequent as those with 3 satellite loculi; each unusually small, those with 2 satellite loculi 3.0–4.5 µm widest; with 3 satellite loculi about 4 µm wide (clearly smaller than width of dorsal setal socket); long branched inner filament not detected; rather sparse throughout but absent from all clear areas; distribution of pore types uncertain due to scarcity; (ii) simple microducts not detected. Preopercular pores probably present. Anal plates rather elongate, with a pointed apex; each 178 µm long, width of single plate 60 µm, each with 3 setal sockets on dorsal surface, all setae missing; presence of apical setae unknown. Anal tube about twice length of anal plates; anal ring setae each about 250 µm long.

Margin. Marginal setae sharply spinose, with a narrow basal-socket (only slightly wider than base of seta); each seta about 16–20 µm long; rather abundant and extending along margin of each stigmatic cleft; with about 110 anteriorly between stigmatic clefts, and (on each side) 18–23 between eyespots and anterior stigmatic area, 19–21 between stigmatic areas and 54–63 on either side of abdomen. Each anal lobe with a group of about 7 longer setae, longest 45 µm long. Stigmatic clefts shallow but distinct, each with a narrow band of rather sharply-conical stigmatic setae along margin, broadening to about 4 setae wide in each cleft, where slightly larger; each band extending along margin some distance on either side of each cleft, mainly in a double to triple row; each anterior band with 52 or 53 conical stigmatic setae and 18–23 spinose marginal setae; each posterior group with 60–67 conical stigmatic setae and 24 or 25 spinose marginal setae; most conical setae about 13 µm long and 6–7 µm wide at base, but most lateral setae smaller, about 10 µm long and 6 µm wide; dorsal setae at apex of group largest, up to 22 µm long and 13 µm wide. Eyespots each about 37 µm wide.

Venter. Derm entirely membranous. Pregenital disc-pores abundant around genital opening (segment VII) and across preceding segment plus about 21 medially and 9 or 10 mediolaterally on segment V, and 1 medially and 0 mediolaterally on IV. Spiracular disc-pores present in fairly broad bands of about 70–100 pores but with few, if any, extending medially. Ventral microducts showing nothing distinctive. Ventral tubular ducts apparently only present in a group of about 16 in cephalic area anterior to antennae, each with an obscure inner ductule. Submarginal setae setose, frequent, each 20–22 µm long.

Antennae each with 8 segments; total length 410–420 µm. Clypeolabral shield about 210 µm long. Spiracles: width of anterior peritremes 66–72 µm, posterior peritremes 80 µm. Legs well developed, each with a distinct tibio-tarsal sclerosis; each claw without a denticle; claw digitules both broad and shorter than tarsal digitules; dimensions of metathoracic legs (µm): coxa 190; trochanter + femur 250; tibia 200; tarsus 108, and claw 24–25.

Discussion. In having a line of spinose setae along the ventral margin of each stigmatic cleft, C. brachystegiae appears to show some affinity with Waxiella but here the spinose setae extend around the entire margin in a single line. Other interesting features of this species are: (i) the absence of tubular ducts associated with the anogenital folds, and (ii) the small size of both the dorsal and ventral microducts. C. neobrachystegiae , described as new below, clearly is closely related. For differences, see under the latter species C. brachystegiae is only known from the original collection on Brachystegia sp. (Fabaceae) , near Umtali (now Mutari), Zimbabwe, and from an unknown plant in Democratic Republic of the Congo.