Paralecanium sabia Tan, Meng & Xing, 2024

Tan, Zhixiang, Meng, Shitao & Xing, Jichun, 2024, Description of a new species of the genus Paralecanium Cockerell & Bueker (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) from China, Zootaxa 5415 (3), pp. 477-485 : 479-483

Paralecanium sabia Tan, Meng & Xing sp. n.

( Figs 1–18 )

Material examined. Holotype: adult ♀, CHINA: Guizhou Prov., / Libo County, Qinglongtan , / 25°17′37″N, 108º04′03″E, / 487 m altitude, / on Sabia swinhoei ( Sabiaceae ), / 12. July. 2022, / Shitao Meng leg., mounted singly on a slide ( GUGC) . Paratypes: Same data as holotype, 6 paratype ♀♀, with 4 mounted singly on 4 slides ( GUGC), and 2 on a fifth slide ( NFUC) .

Appearance in life ( Figs 1‒6 ). Adult females situated close to a major leaf vein ( Fig. 1 ). Body flat, oval but with a slightly pointed head. Dorsum of mature adult female brown-black and well sclerotized, with a white wax patch over each stigmatic cleft ( Fig. 2 ); venter with each spiracular furrow full of powdery white wax, and a sunken dark area (possibly a brood cavity) medially ( Fig. 3 ). Younger adult females fawn and slightly transparent, allowing ventral white wax lines in spiracular furrows to be visible from dorsal view ( Fig. 4 ); also, when viewed against an illuminated background, each side of abdomen with a lightly coloured pattern of 3 or 4 radial lines ( Figs 5 and 6 ).

Slide-mounted adult female ( Figs 7‒18 ) (n = 7). Body oval, often symmetrical, rounded at both ends, broadest across abdomen. Length 3.65–3.80 (3.75) mm, width 2.61–2.70 (2.65) mm.

Dorsum. Derm of mature specimen with areolations, these abundant submarginally and becoming more obscure and fewer quickly medially; each areolation up to about 25 μm in diameter; with a slightly denser group of areolations on either side of anal plates. With abundant minute pale spots throughout, with 1 present in each areolation, each about 1.0–1.5 μm wide. Marginal radial lines pale; with 11 lines anteriorly between anterior stigmatic clefts, no line from each spiracular cleft, and each side with 3 lines between clefts and 11 on abdomen. Clear areas absent. Dorsal setae rather short and parallel-sided, occasionally curved, each 5–8 µm long with a blunt apex, most frequent in each marginal radial line (each line with 1 or 2 setae); setae absent medially. Large dorsal pores, each 4–5 μm wide, present in broad submedial bands of about 35–44 on each side, extending anterolaterally from anal plates to head; smaller pores, each about 2–3 μm wide, sparse and absent medially; minute pores randomly distributed. Anal plates each with outer angle rounded, and with anterior margin subequal in length to posterior margin; plates 105–132 μm long, combined width 85–100 μm; each plate with 1 seta medially and 2 near apex on outer margin, and with 2 small pores medially; anogenital fold with 1 pair of small setae along anterior margin and 2 setae on each lateral margin; anal plate apodemes joined anteriorly by a sclerotized yoke.

Margin. Marginal ornamentation corrugated, each corrugation with a stout short radial line or arrowhead, with 3–4 (usually 4) corrugations between marginal setae. Marginal setae fan-shaped and oval; width of each fan 27–37 μm wide and 16–26 μm long; with 60–78 setae anteriorly between anterior stigmatic clefts, each side with 21–27 setae between stigmatic clefts, and 52–60 along abdominal margin. Stigmatic clefts quite deep, each with a sclerotized inner margin and 3 stigmatic spines; median spine longer than lateral spines, each 29–42 μm long, with apex near outer margin but never extending out of cavity; lateral spines each 13–27μm long. Eyespots: each with greatest width of socket 41–60μm, diameter of lens 16–20 μm, situated on dorsum almost dorsad to bases of antennae.

Venter. Mature female with distinct, lightly sclerotized marginal band 77–95 μm wide, with darker radial “fingers” (absent on younger specimens), marginal band extending up anal cleft, becoming dense beneath posterior apex of anal plates. Multilocular disc-pores present around genital opening and on preceding segment, each side with 5–7 on abdominal segment VII, and 11–15 on segment VI. Spiracular disc-pores present in a narrow band between margin and each spiracle, with 12–20 pores in each band. Ventral microducts present, sparsely distributed in submarginal areas. Ventral setae: with 2 pairs of interantennal setae, 15‒18 μm long; 1 pair of long setae medially on abdominal segment VII, each about 54 μm long; a pair of shorter setae on each of segments VI –II; also with 1 long seta associated with each precoxa, and 3 mesad to each mesocoxa and metacoxa; submarginal setae few and short, each about 8 μm long; other setae sparse. Antennae normal, each with 6 segments: total length 215–225 μm; length of apical segment about 35–37 μm; apical seta about 15 μm long; setal distribution typical of family except for absence of setose setae on segments IV and V. Clypeolabral shield 95–107 μm long. Spiracles small, width of each peritreme 18–22 μm. Legs quite well developed, with trochanterofemoral segmentation (but no long trochanteral seta on ventral surface), and with tibio-tarsal segmentation. Dimensions of hind leg (in μm): coxa about 64–86, trochanter + femur 98–112, tibia 60–68, tarsus 46–58, claw 10–12. Tarsal digitules slightly longer than claw digitules, with small capitate apices; claw digitules with one slightly narrower than other, particularly narrower towards base; claw without a denticle. Setal distribution: coxa 3 or 4; trochanter 1; femur 2 or 3; tibia 2 and tarsus 2.

Distribution. China (Guizhou).

Host plants. Sabiaceae : Sabia swinhoei.

Remarks. Paralecanium sabia sp. n. is similar to P. maritimum ( Green, 1896) in having the following character states: (i) abdominal clear areas absent; (ii) similarly shaped stigmatic clefts and stigmatic spines; (iii) dorsal setae rather short; and (iv) a similar number and distribution of large dorsal pores, multilocular disc-pores and spiracular disc-pores. Paralecanium sabia can be distinguished from the latter by (character states of P. maritimum in brackets): (i) anal plates together only slightly longer than wide, ratio of length to width 1: 0.80 (anal plates together obviously much longer than wide, ratio of length to width 1: 0.55); (ii) antennal setose setae absent from segments IV and V (setose setae present on all antennal segments); (iii) dorsal setae with a distinctly blunt apex (with a sharp apex); and (iv) areolations each about 25 μm wide (only about 8 μm wide).

Etymology: The specific epithet is based on the Latin genitive of the host-plant name.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Paralecanium sabia sp. n., slide-mounted adult female. Scale bar = 500 µm.

FIGURES 8‒20. 8. Paralecanium sabia sp. n., adult female: 9. Antenna; 10. Spiracular disc-pore; 11. Ventral seta; 12. Tip of tarsus with claw; 13. Multilocular disc-pore; 14. Dorsal areolations; 15. Anal plate (left side) and genital fold (right side); 16. Dorsal seta; 17. Large dorsal pore; 18. Marginal setae and ornamentations on margin; 19. Spiracular cleft; 20. Smaller dorsal pore.

FIGURES 1‒6. Habitus of Paralecanium sabia sp. n., type sample: 1. Sabia swinhoei upper leaf surface with two mature P. sabia adult females. 2. Dorsum of mature adult female on leaf. 3. Exposed venter of mature adult female on leaf surface; 4. Dorsal view of younger adult females on leaf; 5. Dorsal view of younger adult female on illuminated background; 6. Venter of younger adult female on illuminated background.