Antonina natalensis Brain, 1967

Williams, D. J., 2001, African species of the mealybug genus Antonina Signoret (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae), Journal of Natural History 35 (6), pp. 833-848 : 837-840

Antonina natalensis Brain

(®gure 2)

Antonina natalensis Brain, 1915: 86 ; De Lotto, 1958: 80 (in part); Ben-Dov, 1994: 40; Hendricks and Kosztarab, 1999: 111. Holotype adult m, South Africa, examined (USNM).

Erium natalense (Brain) , Lindinger, 1935: 125.

Antonina indica var. panica Hall, Hall, 1937: 125 (misidenti®cation).

Description

Adult female in life described in detail by Brain (1915) and De Lotto (1958). Slide-mounted adult female broadly oval, 1.85±4.45 mm long, 1.10±3.50 mm wide, sides sub-parallel; anal lobes poorly developed; body membranous except for sclerotized posterior end, including abdominal segments VII and VIII. Antennae 80±110 m m long, each three-segmented. Positions of legs indicated by small sclerotized patches or pleural vestiges, each with 1±3 small setae. Anal ring with six setae, each seta 80± 95 m m long and slightly knobbed at apices, situated at base of anal tube, 115± 135 m m long, 75±80 m m wide. Vulva with lateral and posterior pairs of slender, clavate apophyses. Labium about 105 m m long, much shorter than clypeolabral shield.

Dorsal surface with minute slender setae, mostly 10±18 m m long, except posteriorly where they are longer, longest on medial area of abdominal segment VII (about 20 m m long); other setae on margins of abdominal segments VII and VIII thicker, all ¯agellate, 25±80 m m long. Multilocular disc pores, each about 10 m m in diameter, usually with 11 loculi but some with 10 or 12, occurring in single to double rows around opening of anal tube and sparsely on abdominal segments VII and VIII. Trilocular pores conspicuous but not numerous, each with sclerotized rim, about 7.5 m m wide, present in more or less single rows mainly across middle of segments. Minute discoidal pores, each smaller than a trilocular pore and with heavily sclerotized rim, scattered. Tubular ducts of type common to genus, each with an inner ¯ange and almost quadrate inner end, of two main sizes. A large type, each about 10 m m long, 5 m m wide (about half width of a multilocular disc pore), present across medial areas of abdominal segments VII and VIII and around margins of segments VI and VII. A small slender type, each about 10 m m long, 3.75 m m wide (much narrower than a trilocular pore), numerous over entire surface except in proximity to large type of duct; forming well de®ned longitudinal bands on thorax and anterior abdomen, this arrangement discernible mainly in teneral specimens before dorsum expands.

Ventral surface with setae similar to those on dorsum, becoming longer at posterior end of body; a pair of apical or anal lobe setae present, each 125±150 m m long, longer and wider at base than surrounding setae. Trilocular pores same as on dorsum, scattered. Disc-like pores, each with a faint to well de®ned rim and granular surface, varying in size from smaller than a trilocular pore to about as large as a multilocular disc pore, grouped around pleural vestiges on metathorax and numerous on the abdomen as far posteriorly as abdominal segment IV; a few also occurring on abdominal segment V. Multilocular disc pores, each about 10 m m in diameter, mostly with 11 loculi but sometimes with 10 or 12, numerous around spiracular openings, a few present submedially between anterior and posterior spiracles, and numerous in a wide submedial band on metathorax and abdomen to lateral margin of zone of disc-like pores, reaching mid-line on abdominal segment IV, becoming sparser posteriorly towards posterior margin of abdomen and on posterior margin of anal tube opening. Tubular ducts of same two sizes as on dorsum. A large type present, distributed over abdominal segment VIII and anteriorly on margins as far forward as abdominal segment V. A small type, numerous, fairly evenly distributed on head, thorax and abdominal margins to area anterior to large type at posterior end of body; becoming less numerous among disc-like pores and multilocular disc pores on abdomen. Discoidal pores as on dorsum, scattered.

Material examined

South Africa, Natal , Pietermaritzburg, on grass, 15.xi.1914 (A. Kelly), HOLOTYPE and PARATYPE No. 33 ( USNM) . Zimbabwe, Theydon , on Eragrostis sp. , 17.iii.1928 (W. J. Hall) ( BMNH) . Kenya, Madokos , on grass, 3.i.1970 (H. Schmutterer) ( BMNH) .

Comments

The distinguishing characters of this species are the multilocular disc pores and trilocular pores present adjacent to the spiracular openings, large-type ducts con®ned to the posterior segments of the abdomen, and numerous multilocular disc pores on the submedial areas of the abdomen reaching to the lateral margins of the zone of disc-like pores. A. natalensis is closely related to A. panica but large-type ducts in A. panica are present also around the body margins as far forward as the prothorax. Furthermore, many of the multilocular disc pores on the abdomen in A. panica are located medially to the zone of disc-like pores.

Douglass R. Miller kindly arranged the loan of two specimens from Brain’s collection in the USNM. One of these, labelled`Type’, is here regarded as the holotype, and the other the paratype. In his original article, Brain (1915) noted that his description was made from two females, the only specimens found, and these are, apparently, the holotype and paratype in the USNM. These specimens are too mature to illustrate but they agree well with specimens from Zimbabwe originally collected and recorded by Hall (1937) and the accompanying illustration has been prepared from a teneral female mounted from Hall’s material.

A. natalensis is probably only Afrotropical in distribution. Mascarenhas de Almeida (1974) recorded the species from Mozambique but no material has been available for study in this work. Some specimens collected in Cameroon, Dcheng, on Pennisetum sp. , 26 February 1951 (A. Balachowsky), listed by Hendricks and Kosztarab (1999) as A. natalensis , have been kindly made available for study by DanieÁle Matile-Ferrero. This material consists of two adult females and two immature specimens. The adult female is too poor to describe and illustrate but the species seems to be distinct, diOEering from A. natalensi s in possessing numerous multilocular disc pores on the venter, some reaching to the lateral margins of the thorax and abdomen. These pores are present also across the dorsal posterior segments of the abdomen. The species should be easily recognizable when collected again. Specimens at hand recorded from India by Hendricks and Kosztarab (1999) diOEer slightly in some characters and their correct identity will await further research.