Aulacophoroides Eastop and Hille Ris Lambers

Qiao, Gexia, Jiang, Liyun & Martin, Jon H., 2006, Aulacophoroides (Sternorrhyncha: Aphididae), a generic account, description of a new species from Hong Kong (China) and a key to species, Zootaxa 1299, pp. 57-68 : 58-59

Aulacophoroides Eastop and Hille Ris Lambers

Aulacophora Tao, 1963: 175 . Type species Amphorophora formosana Takahashi, 1923: 30 , by monotypy.

Aulacophoroides Eastop and Hille Ris Lambers, 1976: 99 , replacement name for pre­occupied Aulacophora Tao, 1963 , nec. Chevrolat (1842), nec. Jeffreys (1882).

Aulacophoroides Eastop and Hille Ris Lambers [but erroneously attributed to Tao, see Introduction, above]: Tao, 1990: 220; Tao, 1999: 63; Blackman and Eastop, 1994: 576; Lee, Holman and Havelka, 2002: 102.

Diagnosis. Antennal tubercles developed, rugose; median frontal tubercle little­developed. Head and antennal tubercles ventrally spinulose and sometimes with a few such spinules dorsally. Base of antennal segment III with a few small round secondary rhinaria in apterae, somewhat more in alatae; antennal hairs up to diameter of antennal segment III in length, cephalic hairs often somewhat longer. Siphunculi very variable (see key to species), but darkly pigmented and usually about 2–3 times as long as cauda, with both pre­ and post­siphuncular basal sclerites, and with a well­developed apical flange with a few transverse striae below it. Abdomen of apterae with pronounced marginal sclerites, and often also with dorsal segmental brown bars. Cauda rounded­triangular (see Figs 7, 11 ) to acuminate. In alatae, vein Cu bordered brown basally.

Distribution. Eastern parts of temperate Asia.

Host plants. Fabaceae : Lespedeza virgata , Millettia reticulata , Millettia sp., Wisteria sinensis .

Comments. Aualacophoroides is a member of the Macrosiphini and is most similar to Megourella Hille Ris Lambers (1949) . Megourella is a European genus, also legumefeeding, and the two included species strongly resemble Aulacophoroides species, with very large sclerites in the median abdominal areas, strongly­developed divergent antennal tubercles and several other shared characters. However, the antennal tubercles in Megourella are almost completely devoid of spinules, the siphunculi have no zone of transverse striations below the flange, and the pre­ and post­siphuncular sclerites are much less developed and do not coalesce.

Sinomegoura Takahashi (1960) also includes species that resemble Aulacophoroides in many characters. However, species of Aulacophoroides generally have longer and darker siphunculi, usually about 2–3 times as long as the cauda, whereas the siphunculi are usually less than twice caudal length in Sinomegoura . Also the abdomen in apterae of Aulacophoroides has pronounced dark marginal sclerites, and often also median sclerites, but the abdominal cuticle in species of Sinomegoura is much paler, especially in the median area. Further, although Sinomegoura species feed on a wide variety of trees and shrubs no legumes are noted as hosts for specimens of Sinomegoura in BMNH.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 11. Aulacophoroides millettiae sp. nov. Apterous viviparous female: 1, dorsal view of head and antennal segments I – II; 2, antennal segment III; 3, ultimate rostral segment; 4, mesosternal furca; 5, dorsal body hair and hair­bearing sclerite; 6, siphunculus; 7, cauda; 8, anal plate; 9, posterior margin of subgenital plate. Alate viviparous female: 10, antennal segment III; 11, cauda.