Coccus multisetus Wang & Feng

Wang, Fang & Feng, Ji-Nian, 2012, A new species of Coccus (Hemiptera, Coccoidea, Coccidae) from China, ZooKeys 244, pp. 59-65 : 62-64

Coccus multisetus Wang & Feng sp. n. Figure 1

Material examined.

Holotype: adult female. CHINA, Yunnan Prov., Natural reserve of Mengyang. 17.v.2012, on Mangifera indica ( Anacardiaceae ), Fang Wang (NWAFU).

Paratypes: 3 adult females, the data same as holotype.

Adult female.

Unmounted material. Convex, sometimes nearly hemispherical; dark brown with a pale brown marginal band. Dried materials hard, bearing many ridges from median longitudinal ridge.

Mounted material.

Body broadly oval, 2.6-3.6 mm long, 2.0-2.8 mm wide. Anal cleft about 1/7th of body length. Stigmatic clefts distinct.

Dorsum.

Derm membranous, with cell-like clear areas. Dorsal setae setose, slender, each 16-30 µm long, with well-developed basal sockets, sparsely distributed over dorsum but absent from median area. Dorsal pores circular, each with a dark rim and about 1-2 µm in diameter, sparsely distributed on dorsum. Dorsal microducts, each with a very short outer ductule and a normal inner filamentous ductule, present in each cell-like area. Dorsal tubular ducts and dorsal submarginal tubercles absent. Preopercular pores, each 3-4 µm in diameter, present in an elongate group anterior to anal plates. Anal plates each broadly triangular, 152-169 µm long, 90-98 µm wide; anterior and posterior margins subequal in length, outer angle nearly a right-angle; each plate with 6 or 7 apical or subapical setae, each 9-16 µm long. Ano-genital fold with 2 pairs of long setae, each 45-60 µm long, present along anterior margin plus 3 pairs of setae, each 28-40 µm long, along each lateral margin. Anal ring subcircular, with 2 or 3 rows of translucent pores and 6 anal ring setae.

Margin.

Marginal setae, each 18-29 µm long, setose, fine, straight or curved, all with well-developed basal sockets; with 40-57 setae between anterior clefts, 14-18 setae between each anterior cleft and posterior cleft, and 32-43 setae between each posterior cleft and anal cleft. Stigmatic clefts shallow, each with 3-8 stigmatic spines: with 3 median spines, each 22-38 µm long, blunt, stout, larger than more lateral spines and broadly based; lateral spines, each 8-19 µm long, blunt, smaller and with pointed apices. Eyespots not found.

Venter

. Derm entirely membranous. Antennae 8 segmented, each 260-284 µm long; third segment longest; with 2 pairs of interantennal setae, each 20-38 µm long. Clypeolabral shield 206-217 µm long, 166-190 µm wide; labium 102-115 µm long, 96-109 µm wide, with 4 setae (24-28 µm) on each side. Legs rather slender; each trochanter with a pair of sensory pores on each side and a single long seta on its ventral surface; each leg with a weak articulation between tibia and tarsus, but with no articulatory sclerosis; tarsal digitules both slender, knobbed and longer than claw digitules, claw digitules both with knobbed apices, but one smaller than the other; claws without a denticle; dimensions of metathoracic leg: coxa 60-75 µm, trochanter+femur 132-160 µm, tibia 80-98 µm and tarsus 68-87 µm. With 2 pairs of long pregenital setae in both segments VI & VII, each 48-66 µm long; submarginal setae present in a single row, each 5-12 µm long; other ventral setae slender, each 6-12 µm long, quite sparsely distributed. Spiracles normal. Spiracular disc-pores each about 4-6 µm in diameter and mainly with 5 loculi; present in a band 2-4 pores wide between stigmatic cleft and each spiracle; with 26-38 pores in each anterior spiracle band and 34-44 pores in each posterior band. Pregenital disc-pores each about 5-7 µm in diameter and mainly with 10 loculi; present around anal opening. Ventral tubular ducts of 2 types: 1) a duct with an elongate outer ductule, each about 15-24 µm long and 2-4 µm wide; an inner ductule about half width of outer ductule, each about 16-24 µm long and 2-3 µm wide; and with a well-developed terminal gland, each about 3-5 µm wide; present medially on head posterior to mouthpart and on prothorax; and 2) a duct with an elongate outer ductule, each about 18-24 µm long and 2-4 µm wide; an inner ductule slightly longer than outer ductule and narrower than that of type 1), each about 20-26 µm long and 1-2 µm wide; and with a well-developed terminal gland, each about 2-3 µm wide; forming a sparse submarginal band and also present medially on meso- and metathorax, extending laterally and mingling with type 1) ducts.

Distribution.

China (Yunnan).

Etymology.

The species epithet multisetus refers to the many setae on the dorsal surface of the anal plates.

Comments.

Adult females of Ceroplastes multisetus are superficially similar to those of Ceroplastes formicarii (Green), which also had been collected in the nests of ants on Mangifera indica . The new species and Ceroplastes formicarii (data from Hodgson, 1994, as Taiwansaissetia formicarii ) share some distinct characteristics: 1) presence of setose dorsal setae; 2) lack of a tibio-tarsal articulatory sclerosis; 3) pregenital disc-pores restricted to around anal opening, and 4) lack of dorsal tubular ducts and submarginal tubercles. These distinct characteristics of the two species differ from those of typical Coccus , and might be due to their myrmecophiloushabit and adaptation to living inside ant nests ( Lin et al. in press).

However, Ceroplastes multisetus can be distinguished by the possession of the following features (character states of Ceroplastes formicarii in brackets): 1) 2 pairs of pregenital setae present (3 pairs); 2) 6 or 7 apical or subapical setae on each plate (3 or 4); 3) a submarginal band of ventral tubular ducts (absent); 4) dorsal setae nearly absent on median area (present), and 5) absence of a denticle on the claw (present). Although Hodgson (1994), when studying slide-mounted specimens considered to be Ceroplastes formicarii , found their morphology to be rather variable, he noted none of the differences mentioned here, other than the presence of the denticle on the claw. It is thus considered that Ceroplastes multisetus is an undescribed species which may be close to Ceroplastes formicarii .