Antecerococcus asparagi (Joubert) Joubert, 2016

Chris J. Hodgson & Douglas J. Williams, 2016, (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha, Coccomorpha) with particular reference to species from the Afrotropical, western Palaearctic and western Oriental Regions, with the revival of Antecerococcus Green and description of a new genus and fifteen new species, and with ten new synonomies, Zootaxa 4091 (1), pp. 1-175 : 33-35

Antecerococcus asparagi (Joubert) , comb. nov.

( Fig. 8 )

Cerococcus asparagi Joubert 1925: 123 .

Type details. SOUTH AFRICA, Stellenbosch, on Asparagus thunbergianus , 5.v.1924, C.J. Joubert. Depository: USNM: lectotype (here designated) 1/1adf + 3/3 paralectotype adff.

Note. Although one slide is marked as type and the other three as paratypes, Joubert (1925) followed Brain and did not use the word type or holotype in his description and so these specimens should be considered syntypes and so a lectotype has been designated (Miller, pers. comm.). Whilst it would have been proper to designate a lectotype from material held in SANC, no type specimens are held there.

Material studied. SOUTH AFRICA, on Asparagus plumosus (Asparagaceae) , March 1941, per H.K. Monro, Dept. Agric. Pretoria, no other data (BMNH): 2/4adff (f–g); Natal, Unkomaas, on Asparagus sp., Jan. 1954, H.K. Munro 1693 (SANC, 584): 1/1adf (g); as previous but no coll. (SANC, 5057): 1/1adf (g); Transvaal, near Brits, on Asparagus sp., 1961, Munro (BMNH): 1/1adf (g).

Mounted material. Body pear-shaped, 2.5–3.0 mm long and 1.8–2.0 mm wide. Anal lobes heavily sclerotized throughout.

Dorsum. Eight-shaped pores of two shapes present, subequal in size: (i) a narrow, elongate pore, each 10–12 x 5 µm, sometimes appearing to have an inner finger of sclerotization; quite evenly distributed throughout dorsum anterior to cribriform plates, possibly in a swirled pattern in places; pores posterior to cribriform plates slightly smaller; large pores absent from margins of abdomen; and (ii) a rounder pore, each 11–12 x 6.5–7.0 µm, restricted to either side of stigmatic pore band. Simple pores not detected. Cribriform plates of moderate size, oval, with narrow margins, each 33– 50 x 25 –33 µm; single plates present submedially on each side of segment IV (one specimen (# 584) with a total of 3 plates, extra plate medial and about 20 µm wide). Dorsal setae extremely few, each setose. Tubular ducts each with outer duct 22–25 µm long and about 3 µm wide, slightly broader than those on venter; abundant throughout. Anal lobes each sclerotized throughout, each folded or ridged; each lobe 85–90 µm long with an apical seta, mostly broken but perhaps short (one specimen (#584) with a seta 25 µm long); dorsal fleshy seta near apex on inner margin bent sharply at a right-angle, each 18–23 µm long, more basal fleshy seta on dorsal surface straighter, each 25–28 µm long, but perhaps occasionally absent; also with a short setose seta on ventral surface near apical seta, each 16–19 µm long; medioventral/outer margin setae and anteroventral setae short, each 16–25 µm long; each lobe with two 8-shaped pores. Median anal plate bluntly triangular, 45–48 µm long, 55–58 µm wide at base. Anal ring with 4 pairs of setae, each 80–108 µm long.

Venter. Eight-shaped pores similar to those on dorsum: (i) elongate pore forming a broad submarginal band and also in broad bands across abdominal segments, and with a few along lateral margins of posterior abdominal segments; and (ii) rounder pore in a narrow band along more inner margin of type (i) band on head and thorax. Simple pore very sparse. Small bilocular pores, each about 5.0 µm widest, frequent medially on head and thorax. Spiracular disc-pores small, each 4–5 µm wide, mainly with 5 loculi, but some with more loculi near stigmatic band apex; each band broadening greatly on dorsum, each with perhaps 200+ pores; each band without minute 8- shaped pores associated with apex; posterior band bifurcated; quinquelocular disc-pores also in a small group of 8– 16 near each antenna. Small convex closed pores not detected. Multilocular disc-pores, each 7–8 µm wide with mainly 10 loculi, distributed as follows: abdominal segment VIII absent; VII with 0 or 1 on each side; VI with 3–10 submarginally and 13 or 14 medially; V 7–14 submarginally and 48–50 medially; V 27–35 submarginally and 155– 163 medially; IV 10–22 submarginally and 90-125 medially; III 8–10 submarginally and 57–71 medially; II 8–10 submarginally and 48 or 49 medially; metathorax with a group of 4–11 just laterad to each leg + a line of 9–20 medially. Tubular ducts very slightly narrower than those on dorsum, present throughout. Ventral setae showing nothing distinctive; preanal setae each 65–70 µm long; companion setae small. Leg stubs small. Antennae usually unsegmented (occasionally appearing to be 2 segmented), each 40–45 µm long, 33–35 µm wide, with about 6–8 mainly fleshy setae; apex of each antenna drawn out into a triangular cone-shaped point and with a shallow setal cavity. Clypeolabral shield 175 µm long. Spiracle peritremes each 45–50 µm wide.

Comment. The above description and illustration differ from those of Lambdin and Kosztarab (1977) in that they show the multilocular disc-pores on the metathorax as being close to the posterior spiracle, whereas they are someway posterior. They also show setose setae on inner margin of each anal lobe (but these are here considered to be medioventral setae) and a large fleshy seta medially which was not detected on the above specimens.

Adult female A. asparagi have the following combination of character-states: (i) only two types of 8-shaped pore on dorsum, none large; (ii) most abundant type of 8-shaped pore narrow and elongate; (iii) no large 8-shaped pores along margins of posterior abdominal segments; (iv) anal lobes sclerotized throughout; (v) each stigmatic pore band with perhaps 200+ pores, very broad at apex, but lacking any minute 8-shaped pores; (vi) posterior stigmatic bands bifurcated; (vii) leg stubs present; (viii) multilocular disc-pores abundant across all abdominal segments, apart from VII and VIII, where usually absent; (ix) multilocular disc-pores present in a medial line across metathorax, (x) each antenna with a cone-shaped point on apex and a shallow setal cavity.

The adult female of A. asparagi falls within Group B in the key to species of Antecerococcus , and keys out with A. insleyae and A. muntingi from South Africa, both of which also have elongate 8-shaped pores on the dorsum.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Antecerococcus asparagi (Joubert). Adult female.