Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell)

MOGHADDAM, MASUMEH & WATSON, GILLIAN W., 2022, The Scale Insects Of Iran (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) Part 2 The Mealybugs (Pseudococcidae And Rhizoecidae) And Putoidae, Zootaxa 5126 (1), pp. 1-169 : 60-62

Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell)

( Fig. 22 , distribution map Fig. 67 I )

Dactylopius virgatus Cockerell, 1893a: 178 . Dactylopius segregatus Cockerell, 1893b: 254 . Dactylopius virgatus farinosus Cockerell, 1893a: 178 . Dactylopius virgatus humilis Cockerell, 1893a: 179 . Dactylopius ceriferus Newstead, 1894: 24 . Dactylopius talini Green, 1896: 7 . Dactylopius setosus Hempel, 1900: 386 . Pseudococcus magnolicida Cockerell, 1902a: 252 . Dactylopius magnolicida King, 1902: 616 . Dactylopius virgatus madagascariensis Newstead, 1908: 7 . Pseudococcus marchali Vayssière, 1912: 366 . Pseudococcus bicaudatus Keuchenius, 1915: 49 . Ferrisia neovirgata Khalid & Shafee, 1988b: 71 .

Field characteristics: Usually found on leaf undersides, buds and developing seed pods. Adult female up to 5.0 mm long, greyish yellow and coated with a thin layer of powdery white wax apart from 2 longitudinal, sub-median, interrupted dark stripes of bare cuticle on the dorsum; with 2 robust white wax filaments at rear end, each about half as long as the body; also with fine, glassy wax rods protruding from the body.

Microscopic diagnosis: Slide-mounted adult female elongate oval, abdomen usually tapering to a squared apex. Anal lobes well developed, each ventral surface with a small bar-like structure. Antennae each with 8 segments. Legs well developed, slender; hind leg with translucent pores on coxa, femur and tibia in moderate numbers; targal digitules clubbed at tip and longer thank claw. Cerarii present on anal lobes only, each containing 2 or 3 conical setae, auxiliary setae and trilocular pores, all situated on a sclerotized area. Circulus present, divided by an intersegmental line. Ostioles well developed. Anal ring complete, with rows of pores and bearing 3 pairs of setae.

Dorsum with slender setae, each blunt or slightly knobbed at apex. Trilocular pores evenly distributed. Oral collar ducts long and slender, each with orifice surrounded by a circular sclerotized area containing 2–4 blunt setae and 1 or 2 oval discoidal pores near margin but within the border, almost never projecting from margin; ducts present in groups of 2 or 3 around margins except on abdominal segment VII, where usually 8 ducts present on each side; submedian ducts also present on most segments; others present submarginally on thorax and anterior abdominal segments.

Venter with blunt setae, usually longer than those on dorsum. Multilocular disc pores present on median areas of segments VI and posterior segments, at posterior edges. Trilocular pores evenly distributed. Minute discoidal pores sparse. Oral collar ducts of 2 sizes present; small ducts, each narrower than a trilocular pore and often associated with a minute discoidal pore, forming clusters on margins of last 2 or 3 abdominal segments; and larger ducts, each as wide as a trilocular pore or wider and sometimes loosely associated with a minute discoidal pore, present on submarginal and medial areas of head, thorax and abdomen.

Distribution: Ferrisia virgata has been recorded from 102 countries in all zoogeographical Regions, including Iran ( García Morales et al. 2016), where it has been recorded from Sistan & Balouchestan province (Moghaddam 2004).

Host-plants: The species has been recorded on host-plants in 211 genera belonging to 79 families ( García Morales et al. 2016). In Iran, it has been found on Boraginaceae : Cordia myxa ; Fabaceae : Albizia julibrissin ; Moraceae : Ficus bengalensis , F. carica and F. religiosa ; and Myrtaceae : Myrtus communis and Psidium guajava ( Moghaddam 2013b) .

Economic importance: At present F. virgata is distributed throughout south-eastern Iran, but so far it has only been found on amenity plants ( Moghaddam 2006).

Natural enemies: Not recorded in Iran.

Comments: The accompanying illustration is reproduced from Moghaddam (2013a), page 27, Fig. 13 , with kind permission from the Chief Editor of Zootaxa.

Genus FORMICOCOCCUS Takahashi

Formicococcus Takahashi, 1928: 253 . Type species: Formicococcus cinnamomi Takahashi , by original designation. Planococcoides Ezzat & McConnell, 1956: 53 . Drymococcus Borchsenius, 1962b: 221 . Indococcus Ali, 1967: 35 .

Principal characters: Slide-mounted adult female broadly oval to rotund, membranous. Anal lobes developed, each with an anal lobe bar. Antennae each with 6‒8 segments. Legs well developed and robust, with femur often about twice as wide as tibia; hind leg normally with translucent pores on coxa, sometimes also on femur and tibia; claw without a denticle. Cerarii numbering 11‒18 pairs; cerarii on anal lobes and posterior abdominal segments usually each containing multiple conical setae, sometimes accompanied by a few normal setae, and a concentration of trilocular pores. Circulus present. Ostioles prominent, situated remote from margins, each wide, with inner edges of lips sclerotized, each lip often with abundant trilocular pores. Multilocular disc pores and oral collar tubular ducts absent from dorsum but present on venter. Ventral oral collar ducts present, usually of 1 size only but sometimes of 2 or 3 sizes. Trilocular pores and discoidal pores present. Anal ring generally situated on dorsum at least its own length from apex of abdomen, the ring bearing 6 or more setae.

Comments: Worldwide, 39 species are included in Formicococcus ( García Morales et al. 2016) ; one species is known from Iran (Moghaddam 2004).

Figures

FIGURE 13. Adult female of Dysmicoccus boninsis (Kuwana).

FIGURE 22. Adult female of Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell). © Magnolia Press, www.mapress.com/j/zt, reproduced with the copyright holder’s permission.

FIGURE 67. Maps of species distributions in Iran.A. Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell); B. Dysmicoccus caspianensis Moghaddam; C. Dysmicoccus walkeri (Newstead); D. Dysmicoccus zagrosicus Moghaddam; E. Erimococcus kimmericus (Kiritshenko); F. Erimococcus talhouki (Matile-Ferrero); G. Eurycoccus tamariscus Williams; H. Exallomochlus balouchestanensis Moghaddam; I. Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell); J. Formicococcus robustus (Ezzat & McConnell); K. Kiritshenkella sacchari (Green); L. Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green).