Montanococcus, Henderson, Rosa C., 2007

Henderson, Rosa C., 2007, Three new genera and six new species of felt scales (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) from mountain habitats in New Zealand, Zootaxa 1449, pp. 1-29 : 12-13

Montanococcus gen. nov.

Type species Montanococcus graemei sp.nov.

Genus description. Adult female body elongate to oval elongate, derm membranous except for anal lobes. Pair of eyespots on body margin. Marginal setae spinose, with 1 or 2 long setae and 1 shorter seta on each abdominal segment; long setae more evenly distributed round margin of cephalothorax; longest marginal setae on posterior abdomen. Antennae 6-segmented. Anal lobes large to massive, sclerotised overall and more heavily around margins; with 3 pairs of stout dorsal setae; apical setae short to moderately long; with 1 or 2 pairs of slender ventral setae; suranal seta long; anal ring ventral, oval, cellular, with 6–8 stout, sword-shaped or flagellate setae. Legs well developed, with or without translucent pores. Dorsal setae distributed in transverse rows of 4 long setae with several to more numerous very short, stout setae. Ventral submedian setae finely lanceolate, in transverse rows on submedian abdomen, and a few elsewhere; with a line of spinose setae on abdominal ventral submargin, these decreasing in size towards thorax; largest seta in this line very near anal lobes and smallest opposite posterior spiracle; each spinose seta often with several smaller setae nearby. Dorsal cruciform pores absent. Macrotubular ducts with a long outer duct, cup moderately reflexed, distributed within rows of dorsal setae; more numerous submarginally. Microtubular ducts with a dark vestibule, bilocular in dorsal view at base of lumen, present in dorsal rows together with macrotubular ducts and dorsal setae, and scattered submarginally on dorsum and venter. With 5-locular or 7-locular disc pores in a discrete submedian ventral band extending at least from posterior spiracle to anal lobes; with disc pores by margin of each spiracle.

Comments. Montanococcus contains 3 new species: M. graemei , M. petrobius and M. thriaticus . Species of Montanococcus can be distinguished from other genera of Eriococcidae in New Zealand, and probably from all other Eriococcidae , by the combination of: (i) large, sclerotised anal lobes; (ii) long spinose marginal setae; (iii) dorsal setae of 2 distinct sizes, and (iv) a discrete ventral submedian band of disc pores extending at least from the posterior spiracle to the anal lobe on each side (extending from antenna to anal lobe on M. graemei ). Other diagnostic features are the long dorsal macrotubular ducts, microtubular ducts on dorsum and venter, and antennae with segment III not longer than segment II.

Etymology. The genus name is derived from Montano- for mountain, combined with coccus for ‘scale’, referring to the scale’s mountain habitat.