Planococcus vovae (Nasonov)

Moghaddam, Masumeh, 2013, A review of the mealybugs (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae, Putoidae and Rhizoecidae) of Iran, with descriptions of four new species and three new records for the Iranian fauna, Zootaxa 3632 (1), pp. 1-107 : 67-68

Planococcus vovae (Nasonov)

( Fig. 37 )

Pseudococcus (Dactylopius) vovae Nasonov, 1909: 484 . Pseudococcus inamabilis Hambleton, 1935: 112 . Pseudococcus junipericola Borchsenius, 1949: 116 . Planococcus taigae Danzig, 1986: 19 . Planococcus juniperus Tang in Tang & Li, 1988: 42.

DIAGNOSIS. Body of adult female oval. Antennae 9 segmented. Legs well developed; with a few translucent pores on hind coxa and tibia. Cerarii numbering 18 pairs, each bearing 2 slender flagellate setae, except for preocular pair with 3 setae. Circulus present, divided by an intersegmental line. Both pairs of ostioles well developed. Dorsal and ventral setae long and flagellate. Cisanal setae shorter than anal ring setae. Multilocular disc pores present on venter only, in rows across posterior abdominal segment IV and more posterior segments, reaching to margins. Trilocular pores evenly distributed on dorsum and venter. Discoidal pores sparse on both dorsum and venter. Dorsal oral collar ducts with conspicous rim, larger than ventral ducts, often present next to some cerarii; ventral ducts of 2 sizes: small ducts sparse across median areas of abdominal segments, and larger ducts present around margins including head and thorax, and also scattered medially on thorax.

DISTRIBUTION. Neotropical, Palaearctic: Afghanistan, Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Tajikistan and Turkey. In Iran, P. vovae occurs in Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Kerman, Mazandaran, Tehran and Yazd. It is only known on Cupressaceae (Ben-Dov et al., 2012) .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Esfahan: Esfahan, 7 adult Ƥ, 1.ix.2004 (B. Hatami). Fars: Shiraz, 1 adult Ƥ, 6.xi.1998; Firouzabad, 12 adult Ƥ, 28.x.1997. Gilan: Masal, 2 adult Ƥ, 23.vi.2003; Roodbar, 4 adult Ƥ, 1.vii.2003; Bandar Anzali, Tazeabad, 2 adult Ƥ, 14.vii.2009 (Hoseini). Golestan: Gorgan, Daland, 5 adult Ƥ, 13.vii.2004. Kerman: Sirjan, 16 adult Ƥ, 25.iv.2002 (M. Abai); Kerman, 16 adult Ƥ, 1.v.1994. Mazandaran: Ramsar, 4 adult Ƥ, 17.vii.2006; Kelarabad, 2 adult Ƥ, 28.vii.2002. Tehran: Tehran, Evin, 8 adult Ƥ, 6.x.1995. Yazd: Abargoo, 5 adult Ƥ, 11.viii.2002 (A. Heidari). All occurs on Cupressus sp. ( Cupressaceae ).

COMMENTS. The illustrations and descriptions in Cox & Ben-Dov (1986) and Cox (1989) have proved adequate to identify most specimens of this species, commonly known as the cypress tree mealybug (see below). P. vovae is distributed throughout much of Europe as far north as St. Perersburg in Russia. It is common in the Mediterranean area and from south-west Asia to Turkey and Iran. It always infests genera of the plant family Cupressaceae and often damages the trees, causing die-back of the twigs. Cox & Ben-Dov (1986) and Cox (1989) have indicated that one of the most important key characters for separating P. vovae from many other species of Planococcus is the absence of ventral multilocular disc pores on the lateral abdominal margins. However, Iranian specimens from Fars in the south of Iran, do possess a few multilocular disc pores on the abdominal margins (Williams & Moghaddam, 1999). Seventeen species of predator, parasitoid and hyperparasitoid belonging to 10 families and 15 genera have been introduced to control P. vovae in Tehran (Talebi et al. 2008). Lotfalizadeh & Ahmadi (2000) recorded 15 species of natural enemies attacking this mealybug in Shiraz, Fars.

Figures

FIGURE 37. Adult female Planococcus vovae (Nasonov)