Ovaticoccus californicus McKenzie

Miller, Douglass R. & Stocks, Ian C., 2022, New genera and species of felt scales (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Eriococcidae), with descriptions of new species and immature instars of described species, Zootaxa 5221 (1), pp. 1-213 : 113

Ovaticoccus californicus McKenzie

Ovaticoccus californicus McKenzie 1964: 22 .

The adult female of this species was described in detail by McKenzie (1964) and was redescribed by Miller and McKenzie (1967); information from these papers is not repeated here.

Notes: In McKenzie (1964) there is mention of immature specimens of Ov. californicus , but it is clear that these specimens are of an entirely different species ( Miller & McKenzie, 1967). One slide contains two adult female paratypes that definitely are Ov. californicus , but the two second-instar females are not conspecific. One specimen has an adult that has emerged far enough to see characteristics useful for conclusions about its identity. It has the following character states: numerous translucent pores on the hind coxa, some of which are on the derm anterior to the coxa (a diagnostic characteristic of Ov. neglectus ); microtubular ducts present on both surfaces; broad enlarged setae; each femur with four setae including one that is proximal; anal ring circular, perhaps divided anteriorly; analring setae longer than diameter of ring. We conclude that although these specimens are similar to Ov. neglectus , they differ in the number of setae on each femur and the length of the anal ring setae; they appear to be specimens of an unknown species.

Adult-female specimens of Ov. californicus collected on Yucca sp. were misidentified by Miller and McKenzie (1967) and are now considered to be Ov. betsyae .