Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell)

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 : 21-22

Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell)

( Fig. 10 )

Dactylopius brevipes Cockerell, 1893b: 178 . Pseudococcus bromeliae (Bouché) , Fernald, 1903: 98. Dactylopius (Pseudococcus) ananassae Kuwana, 1909:162 . Pseudococcus cannae Green, 1934: 162 . Pseudococcus defluiteri Betrem, 1937: 43 . Pseudococcus pseudobrevipes Mamet, 1941: 58 .

DIAGNOSIS. Body of adult female oval to broadly oval. Ventral surface of each lobe possessing a triangular to quadrate sclerotized area. Antennae usually 8 segmented. Legs well developed; translucent pores abundant on posterior surfaces of hind femur and hind tibia.Tarsal digitules usually unequal, 1 knobbed, other shorter and flagellate. Cerarii numbering 17 pairs. Anal lobe cerarii each containing 2 conical setae, 6 or 7 auxiliary setae, and a compact group of trilocular pores, all situated on a more or less circular sclerotized area, smaller in area than anal ring. Anterior cerarii each with 2–4 conical setae, 3–5 auxiliary setae, and a compact group of trilocular pores. Circulus divided by an intersegmental line. Ostioles well developed. Dorsal setae short and stiff, accompanied by some minute slender setae; setae on dorsomedial area of segment VIII longer than those on segments VII and VI. Ventral surface with normal setae, mostly short and more slender than dorsal setae. Multilocular disc pores present on venter, posterior to vulva and medially at posterior edges of abdominal segments VI and VII. Trilocular pores fairly numerous on dorsum and venter. Discoidal pores, each with a reticulated surface, of 2 sizes on dorsum and 1 size on venter; large type occurring medially on dorsal abdominal segments V–VIII, and small type fairly numerous, scattered; ventral discoidal pores, similar to small type on dorsum, with 1–4 always present adjacent to each eye. Oral collar ducts present on venter only, usually of 2 sizes: large type singly on margins of abdominal segments V–VII, and slightly smaller type distributed across abdominal segments V and VI, plus 1 or 2 submarginally and laterally on abdominal segments VI and VII.

DISTRIBUTION. Afrotropical, Australasian, Nearctic, Neotropical, Oriental, Palaearctic: Egypt, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Russia and Sicily. In Iran, D. brevipes occurs in Sistan & Baluchestan. It is known from 62 plant families worldwide (Ben-Dov et al., 2012).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Sistan & Baluchestan: Iranshahr, 6 adult Ƥ, on the root of Medicago sativa (Fabaceae) , 1.iii.2001 (U. Achak).

COMMENTS. The pink mealybug D. brevipes infests the roots and leaves of the host plants, and is probably one of the most widespread, cosmopolitan and polyphagous mealybug species (Ben-Dov et al., 2012). D. brevipes has been accidentally introduced to Iran on imported pineapples from the Philippines and appears to be well established in the southeast (Moghaddam, 1999).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Adult female Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell).