Arctorthezia occidentalis (Douglas, 1891)

Szita, Eva, Kaydan, Mehmet Bora, Benedicty, Zsuzsanna Konczne, Tanaka, Hirotaka, Fetyko, Kinga & Kozar, Ferenc, 2015, The genus Arctorthezia Cockerell (Hemiptera, Ortheziidae) with the description of a new species, ZooKeys 472, pp. 59-75 : 66

Taxon classification Animalia Hemiptera Ortheziidae

Arctorthezia occidentalis (Douglas, 1891) Figs 3, 5 d–e, 6 e–f

Material examined.

Canada: 2 females on 1 slide, British Columbia, Victoria, Highland Rd., moss, 12.vii.1988, leg. F. Kozár [PPI 3330, USNM 57]; 2 females on 1 slide, British Columbia, Vancouver Island, Ladysmith, entering a dwelling, 9.xi.1945, leg. W.A. Ross [PPI 8986, USNM 45-2340]; 6 females on 4 slides, British Columbia, Kaslo B.C., root of trees and grass, 19.v.1908, leg. J.W. Cockle [PPI 8974, USNM without code]; USA: 5 females on 5 slides, Montana, on apple,. ix.1949, leg. W.S. Regan [PPI 8975, USNM 49-2173]; 1 female, Colorado, Boulder, on Castilleja sp., 8.vi.1917, leg. H.F. Dietz [PPI 8977, USNM FHB #16096]; 4 females on 2 slides, Colorado, Boulder, on Castilleja sp., 12.vi.1919, leg. H.F. Dietz [PPI 8976, USNM without code].

Synonymy.

Orthezia occidentalis Douglas, Orthezia californica (Ehrhorn), Orthezia (Arctorthezia) occidentalis Morrison ( Ben-Dov et al. 2014).

Description.

Adult female, with secretion, fairly large, 3.5 mm wide and 4.5 mm long. Body completely covered with dense, sharply defined wax plates, these occurring in the usual marginal and dorsal tufts, white or variously discoloured, sometimes appearing yellow-brown or grey ( Morrison 1925). Live adult female with 9 paired dorsal wax plates in each marginal row, 8 in each submedian band, and 3 wide, triangular or shield-shaped plates in centre of thorax (Fig. 5 d–e).

Slide-mounted adult female (Fig. 3, 6 e–f). Body elongate oval, 3.45‒4.25 mm long, 3.00‒2.68 mm wide. Antenna 8- (rarely 7) segmented. Measurements of antennal segments: 1st 280‒330, 2nd 190‒230, 3rd 110‒140, 4th 100‒110, 5th 90, 6th 90‒100, 7th 90‒120, and apical segment 235‒240 mm long; apical spine of antenna 20 mm long, subapical seta absent; fleshy sensory seta near apical seta 25 mm long, all segments of antennae covered with very robust, spine-like setae, longest spine 15 mm long, first antennal segment with 2 spines on each side of segment. Eye with sub-parallel sides, tall, 120‒180 mm long, situated very close to first segment of antenna.

Venter: Labium 340‒450 mm long, apparently one segmented. Stylet loop usually longer than labium. Legs well developed; measurements of front coxa 220‒260 mm long, middle 200‒250 mm, hind 240‒350 mm; front trochanter+femur 660‒720 mm long, middle 720‒820 mm, hind 760‒920 mm; front tibia+tarsus 460‒670 mm long, middle 540‒580 mm, hind 340‒400 mm; front claw 80 mm long, middle 90‒110 mm, hind 90‒110 mm; hind claw digitules 5‒10 mm; legs with rows of robust spine-like setae, with four fleshy sensory setae on tibia, trochanter with 4 placoid sensilla on each surface. Wax plates present on ventral areas of head and thorax, with wide marginal plate laterad of each thoracic spiracle; two wax plates present between mid-coxa upper one in triangular shape (Fig. 6e), below one knickers shape. Thoracic spiracles with wide band of disc pores inside atrium. Setae few, scattered in medial areas of thorax, with several setae near anterior edge of ovisac band and associated with simple pores. Ovisac band wide, straight in the middle; with 4 spine rows within ovisac band. Multilocular pores with 4 loculi around perimeter, 1 loculus in central hub; 5 mm in diameter; present in 3 complete bands near posterior edges of each spine bands, and scattered around vulva.

Dorsum: Wax plates cover all dorsum; three triangular wax plates on middorsum (first 340-540 mm in width, 140‒240 mm in length; middle 440‒740 mm in width, 300‒370 mm in length; third 640‒650 mm in width, 220‒330 mm in length, Fig. 6f). Spines at margin of wax plate 20‒22 mm long, spines apically capitate. A few setae present in marginal clusters near posterior edges of marginal wax plates, with 3‒6 setae laterad of thoracic spiracles, longest seta 40‒50 mm long also present in very small numbers on other wax plates and in medial bare area. Multilocular pores generally with 4 loculi around perimeter, one loculus in central hub, sparsely present in wax plates. Abdominal spiracles 7 pairs on the margin, last 2 in posterior apical spine clusters. Anal ring 130‒145 mm long and 100‒125 wide with 6 anal ring blunted setae, each 225‒250 mm long.

Distribution.

Canada (British Columbia), Spain, USA (Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaiian Islands, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington).

Ecology.

Host plant: Bahia sp., Eriophyllum , Argyroxiphium sp., Eriophyllum confertifolium , Agrostis sandwicensis , Grossularia sp., Fragraria sp. Rubus sp., Castilleja sp ( Ben-Dov et al. 2014, Kozar 2004).

Biology.

On the roots, associated with Formica integra , and Myrmica ? ants ( Ben-Dov et al. 2014, Kozar 2004).

Comments.

Its presence in the Palaearctic Region (Spain) ( Gómez-Menor 1937) is under question. Searches for slides in Spanish collections were unsuccessful (personal communication from Carolina Martin (Madrid), and Angeles Vásquez (Madrid)).