Ceroplastes galeatus Newstead

Hodgson, Chris J. & Peronti, Ana L. B. G., 2012, 3372, Zootaxa 3372, pp. 1-265 : 121-124

Ceroplastes galeatus Newstead

( Fig. 59; Map fig. 104)

Ceroplastes galeatus Newstead, 1911a: 95 .

Ceroplastes galeatus Newstead ; Le Pelley, 1968: 350.

Material examined: Lectotype ♀ (here designated): Uganda: right label: Colonial Office / Ent. Res. Comm. (T.A.) / 1804 / Entebbe / 10/VIII/10 / BM 1945, 121; left label: Ceroplastes / galeatus / Newstead / Cotype ♀♀ ( BMNH): 1/1 (fair-poor, dorsum and venter separated).

Paralectotype ♀: as for lectotype, 1/2 (fair; split into dorsum and venter) + 4/6 (poor).

Non-type: as previous but collected on 15.ix.1910, C.C. Gowdey ( BMNH): 1/2 (fair-poor) .

Note. The following description is taken from the specimens divided into dorsum and venter and from a young adult female.

Unmounted material. "Test of adult female — wax hard; creamy white or dusky yellowish white; roughly hemispherical; divided into distinct plates; dorsum with a central dark nuclear spot situated in a deep depression, the latter extending as a narrow groove as far as the region of the anal lobes; lateral plates separated by dark depression lines; lateral margins over the stigmatic clefts projecting considerably beyond the hemispherical portion, in the form of 2 peak-like extensions, on both surfaces of which are the opaque white stigmatic bands; area surrounding the anal orifice almost denuded, so that the colour of the insect is visible. Width 4.5–5.0 mm, length 4.0– 4.5 mm." ( Newstead, 1911a: 95).

Mounted material. Body elongate oval, probably rather convex, with shallow, stigmatic clefts; distinctness of dorsal tubercles uncertain. Caudal process short and stout, pointing more or less vertically. Length 2.7–3.5 mm, total width of mounted specimen 1.75–2.5 mm; width of venter 1.5–1.65 mm.

Dorsum. Derm entirely membranous on young individuals, except for heavily sclerotised caudal process; derm becoming more sclerotised on old individuals. Caudal process heavily sclerotised, with simple microducts more or less throughout; 0.6–0.7 mm long, 0.70–0.75 mm wide. Derm with eight large clear areas, distributed as usual, each without dorsal setae. Dorsal setae rather variable in shape, each mostly bluntly spinose, margins almost parallel, but some quite pointed; each subequal to or slightly longer than width of basal-socket (length 3.0–3.5 µm; basal socket width 2.5–3.0 µm); quite frequent throughout but absent from clear areas. Dorsal pores: (i) loculate microducts of rusci-type most abundant, those with 2 satellite loculi rare; rather sparse throughout apart from in clear areas where absent; wax-plate lines obscure but most pores with 2 satellite loculi probably restricted to them; (ii) simple microducts present but distribution uncertain. Preopercular pores present but number uncertain, probably about 12 in a transverse band; each small. Anal plates each with 3 pairs of large setal sockets dorsally (all setae missing) and a short apical seta. Length of anal tube and structure of anal ring unknown.

Margin. Marginal setae strongly setose; each seta 16–20 µm long; with perhaps 15 or 16 between eyespots, and (on each side) 3–6 between eyespots and anterior stigmatic setae, 2 or 3 between stigmatic clefts (intermingling with stigmatic setae) and maybe about 10–12 on each side of abdomen; each anal lobe with 4 long setae, each about 40–60 µm long. Stigmatic clefts shallow, each with a marginal line of bluntly pointed, conical stigmatic setae, line broadening to 3 or 4 setae deep in each cleft; often with 1 rather larger spinose seta in middle of each group, latter about 15–17 µm long, 8–10 µm wide at base; most other stigmatic setae about 10–12 µm long and 6–8 µm wide at base; setae extending some distance along margin on either side of each cleft, sometimes almost meeting between clefts; with non-marginal stigmatic setae also extending some distance on either side of cleft; with a total of 30–37 stigmatic setae in each cleft of which about 20–26 setae on margin and 10–14 non-marginal; also with 0–2 stigmatic setae anteriorly between eyespots. Eyespots each about 25–28 µm wide.

Venter. Derm entirely membranous; cephalic region apparently rather large. Pregenital disc-pores abundant around genital opening and across preceding segment, plus a few in segment V; mostly absent more anteriorly, although 1 present in segment III on 1 specimen. Spiracular disc-pores present in a broad band near each spiracle but narrowing abruptly and then broadening again near margin, particularly in posterior band; each band with perhaps 60–70 disc-pores between margin and each spiracle. Ventral microducts showing nothing distinctive. Ventral tubular ducts absent in cephalic region and very scarce (sometimes possibly absent) associated with anogenital fold, only 1 found on 1 side of abdominal segment VI on 1 specimen. Submarginal setae sparse, each about 8–10 µm long.

Antennae each with 6 segments, segment III rather short with no sign of pseudo-articulations; total length 220–235 µm. Clypeolabral shield about 130–135 µm long. Spiracles: width of peritremes 40–45 µm. Legs well developed, each with a very small and indistinct tibio-tarsal articulatory sclerosis; presence of claw denticle unknown; claw digitules both broad and subequal in length to tarsal digitules; dimensions of metathoracic legs (µm): coxa 95–110; trochanter + femur 125–130; tibia 80–85; tarsus 60–65, and claw 18–20.

Discussion. The adult female of C. galeatus initially appears similar to several other species in the C. rusci - group but differs in: (i) having no ventral tubular ducts in the cephalic region; (ii) almost no tibio-tarsal articulatory scleroses; (iii) the distribution of the stigmatic setae, with the largest lying within the group (i.e., not the most dorsal seta); (iv) in the shortness of antennal segment III, and (v) stigmatic setae not meeting between clefts. Other species in the C. rusci- group that lack tubular ducts in the cephalic region are C. singularis , C. balachowskyi (described as new above) and C. ghesquierei (described as new below). C. singularis differs in having stigmatic setae along entire margin, C. balachowskyi differs in having a very large mid-dorsal clear area and C. ghesquierei is very similar but has many more stigmatic setae which almost meet between the clefts.

C. galeatus appears to be known only on coffee ( Rubiaceae ) and an unknown host from Uganda. The fact that it was a pest of coffee at that time suggests that it must have been common.