Ceroplastes danieleae Hodgson & Peronti, 2012

Hodgson, Chris J. & Peronti, Ana L. B. G., 2012, 3372, Zootaxa 3372, pp. 1-265 : 104-106

Ceroplastes danieleae Hodgson & Peronti , spec. nov.

( Fig. 52; Map fig. 104)

Material examined: Holotype ♀: Democratic Republic of the Congo [Belgian Congo], Lubumbashi [Elisabethville], on mulberry ( Morus nigra ), no date, Ringoot ( BMNH): 1/1 (good, split into dorsum and venter; data scratched onto glass slide by Hall; with manuscript name C. solidus , probably given by Green).

Paratype ♀: as for holotype ( BMNH): 1/1 (young, good); also as for holotype but labelled on sticky label: Belgian Congo, Africa, Ringoot #37 ( BMNH): 1/7 (fair-good); as for holotype but labelled on sticky labels: Belgian Congo, Elisabethville [now Lubumbashi], Morus sp., 1917 , Ringoot, ex. Coll. E.E. Green ( BMNH, MNHN): 2/3 (fair). All also labelled C. solidus , a manuscript name.

Note. Description taken from all specimens.

Unmounted material. Unknown.

Mounted material. Body roundly oval and probably convex, with distinct, moderately deep, stigmatic clefts; dorsum with distinct tubercles. Caudal process broad and stout. Length 1.3–3.7 mm; width 1.5–3.0 mm.

Dorsum. Derm membranous except for heavily sclerotised caudal process. Caudal process about 450–925 µm wide and 575–925 µm long. Derm with 8 clear areas, each with a few simple pores and dorsal setae, latter quite common in mid-dorsal area. Dorsal setae each subequal in length to width of basal-socket or longer, length 4.0–5.5 µm; basal socket width 4.0 µm; sides converging to a narrow, blunt apex but shorter setae (mainly present in clear areas) blunter; frequent to abundant throughout, in places as frequent as loculate microducts; sparse in marginal clear areas but frequent in mid-dorsal clear area. Dorsal pores: (i) loculate microducts of rusci-type abundant, pores with 2 satellite loculi common but mainly restricted to wax-plate lines; each 5–7 µm widest, abundant throughout but absent from all clear areas; wax-plate lines present; and (ii) simple microducts perhaps restricted to clear areas. Preopercular pores in a band of about 15–25 pores, 2 or 3 pores deep. Anal plates together approximately oval, length 130–140 µm, width of both plates combined 120–125 µm; each plate with 3 large dorsal setal sockets plus that of a subapical seta on posterior margin; all setae missing. Anal tube short, about as long as anal plates.

Margin. Marginal setae strongly setose, each about 13–20 µm long; with 8–12 between eyespots anteriorly, and, on each side, 7 or 8 between eyespots and anterior stigmatic setae, 7–10 setae between stigmatic clefts, and sparse along each margin of abdomen; each anal lobe perhaps with 2 or 3 long setae, longest about 65–70 µm long. Stigmatic clefts fairly distinct, each with a triangular group of 22–29 rather pointed, conical stigmatic setae; each group about as wide as long (or slightly wider than long), with 6–11 stigmatic setae along margin, some groups occasionally with 1 or 2 setae extending out of group along margin; each group also generally with a noticeably larger seta towards dorsal apex; small stigmatic setae each 10–13 µm long and 7–10 µm wide, and largest setae 13–18 µm long and 13–18 µm wide. Eyespots each about 30–35 µm wide.

Venter. Derm entirely membranous. Pregenital disc-pores abundant around genital opening (segment VII) and across preceding segment, segment V with 6–10 pores medially and 6–10 pores submedially on each side; occasionally 1 submedially in IV, otherwise absent more anteriorly. Spiracular disc-pores each with mainly 5 loculi; present in broad bands of at least 100 pores, generally with some extending medially as far as end of apodeme, where often with more loculi. Ventral microducts showing nothing distinctive. Ventral tubular ducts present in a group of 9–18 in cephalic area plus 0 or 1 on each side submedially in about abdominal segment V and occasionally 1 noted in VI; each without an inner ductule. Submarginal setae perhaps as frequent as marginal setae, each 10–13 µm long.

Antennae each with 6 segments, but with a pseudo-articulation in 3rd segment; total length 240–315 µm. Clypeolabral shield about 165–185 µm long. Spiracles: width of peritremes 65–75 µm. Legs well developed; tibio-tarsal articulatory sclerosis rather variable, sometimes apparently absent but generally fairly distinct; each claw probably either without a denticle or with just a hint of one; claw digitules both broad and shorter than tarsal digitules; dimensions of metathoracic legs (µm): coxa 128–140; trochanter + femur 150–157; tibia 100–105; tarsus 72–75, and claw 22–24.

Discussion. Ceroplastes danieleae is very similar to C. mori (described as new below in the C. theobromae - group) – and, indeed, was initially identified as such. However, importantly, it has a large group of tubular ducts in the cephalic region, absent on C. mori . Green clearly recognised this as different when he gave this material the manuscript name C. solidus but unfortunately he left no notes as to what this species looked like in life. On the other hand, his suggested specific name can surely only refer to the wax which is therefore likely to be firm.

The placement of this species in the C. rusci -group rather than in the C. theobromae -group is open to question but none of the other species in the C. theobromae -group have tubular ducts in the cephalic region. In addition, C. danieleae has distinct tibio-tarsal articulatory scleroses and many specimens also had a few (up to 3) stigmatic setae extending out of each cleft along the margin. All of these characters suggest a closer relationship to the C. rusci -group.

At the present time, C. danieleae is only known from the original collection in Democratic Republic of the Congo on Morus sp. (Moraceae) .

Name derivation. This species of Ceroplastes is named to honour Dr. Danièle Matile-Ferrero, Laboratoire d’Entomologie, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, who collected some of the material studied for this revision, particularly from areas that have been rarely visited by coccidologists. She also very kindly allowed us to borrow a large number of specimens from the MNHN collection, particularly from countries associated with France, thus making the geographical coverage much wider.