Opisthoscelis gracilis Schrader

Hardy, Nate B. & Gullan, Penny J., 2010, Australian gall-inducing scale insects on Eucalyptus: revision of Opisthoscelis Schrader (Coccoidea, Eriococcidae) and descriptions of a new genus and nine new species, ZooKeys 58, pp. 1-74 : 18

Opisthoscelis gracilis Schrader nomen dubium

Opisthoscelis gracilis Schrader 1863: 7; synonymy with Opisthoscelis subrotunda by Froggatt 1894a: 209.

General.

This species was described briefly by Schrader (1863: 7) as follows: "In another species Opisthoscelis gracilis , which I have observed, the oviparous female is rather slender, and the legs are still longer and thinner than in the species before noticed [ Opisthoscelis subrotunda ], and the male has no anal setae." There is no illustration and Schrader’s specimens were destroyed in WWII ( Gullan 1984a). Froggatt (1894a) considered Opisthoscelis gracilis to be a synonym of Opisthoscelis subrotunda . However, Schrader’s description of the adult female having long thin legs and a slender body, and the adult male with no anal setae, suggest that this was a species of Tanyscelis . In the absence of type specimens, it is impossible to determine which species this name applies to and we here consider it to be a nomen dubium.