Pseudococcus pandanicola Takahashi

Williams, D. J. & Martin, J. H., 2005, (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae), Zootaxa 804, pp. 1-12 : 9-11

Redescription of Pseudococcus pandanicola Takahashi

( Fig. 2 )

Pseudococcus pandanicola Takahashi, 1939: 248 ; Beardsley, 1966: 460. Syntypes Palau, Babeldaob [Babelthuap] (TARI).

Laminicoccus pandanicola (Takahashi) , Tang, 1992: 301; Ben­Dov, 1994: 211.

Description

Body of adult female on microscope slide membranous, broadly oval, 1.60 mm long, 1.20 mm wide. Anal lobes well developed, ventral surface of each lobe bearing an apical seta about 215 m long and a triangular sclerotized area occupying much of lobe. Antennae each about 420 m long, with 8 segments; basal segment with notch or depression on inner basal edge. Legs well­developed; hind trochanter + femur about 310 m long, hind tibia + tarsus about 300 m long; claw stout, each about 20–30 m long. Ratio of lengths of hind tibia + tarsus to hind trochanter + femur 0.96. Ratio of lengths of hind tibia to tarsus 2.0. Translucent pores absent from anterior surface of hind coxa but present on posterior surface and on posterior surface of hind tibia. Labium about 120 m long, slightly shorter than clypeolabral shield. Circulus well­developed, distorted in available specimen but about 100 m wide, notched on each side and divided by intersegmental line. Ostioles well developed, with inner edges of lips sclerotized, anterior lip of each anterior pair apparently without setae, posterior lips each bearing 2 slender setae; posterior pair of ostioles each with 1 or 2 setae on each lip, each lip bearing a few trilocular pores. Anal ring about 80 m in diameter, bearing 6 stout setae, each about 150 m long, and 2 rows of cells. Cerarii numbering 17 pairs. Anal lobe cerarii each containing 2 conical setae, each about 28 m long and 5 m wide at base, about 5 auxiliary setae and a cluster of trilocular pores, all on a sclerotized area almost same size as anal ring. Anterior cerarii mostly each containing 2 smaller conical setae, 2–4 auxiliary setae and a cluster of trilocular pores, on a fairly well­defined circular sclerotized area; frontal cerarii (C1) each with 4 conical setae, ocular cerarii (C3) each with about 7 conical setae, and C6 each with 4 conical setae.

Dorsal surface of body with slender flagellate setae, many each about 35 m long, including auxiliary setae; other setae present each about 15 m long, all widely spaced and most distributed across middle of segments. Multilocular disc pores absent. Trilocular pores evenly distributed. Discoidal pores apparently absent. Oral­rim tubular ducts each about 10 m long, with sclerotized rim slightly narrower than a multilocular disc pore and usually with a seta near the rim, present singly behind each frontal cerarius, 1 or 2 ducts also present next to C6 and others situated singly next to C11–14 and C17, ducts also present medially on metathorax. Oral collar tubular ducts absent.

Ventral surface of body with slender setae. Multilocular disc pores, each about 7.5 m in diameter, present around vulva only except for 1 or 2 situated on abdominal segment VI; about 20 pores present altogether in available specimen. Trilocular pores present in an even distribution. Discoidal pores not observed. Oral rim tubular ducts, similar to those on dorsum but a little smaller and without associated setae, present laterally in small groups of 2 or 3 on abdominal segments VI and VII and singly on abdominal segment V. A smaller type of oral­rim tubular duct also present singly near lateral margin of abdominal segment VI. Oral­collar tubular ducts, each narrower than a trilocular pore and about as long as diameter of a multilocular disc pore, distributed in single rows across middle of abdominal segments V–VII, not reaching margins.

Comments

The redescription of this species is based on a single specimen kindly donated by the late J.W. Beardsley to The Natural History Museum, London, and it agrees well with Takahashi’s original description and illustration. The island of Koror is only a short distance south of Babeldaob, the type locality. In his key to species of Pseudococcus of Micronesia, Beardsley (1966) separated P. pandanicola from other species in possessing lateral groups of 3 or 4 oral­rim tubular ducts on the venter of “abdominal segment 8” [now regarded as abdominal segment VII]. Similar oral­rim tubular ducts are also present on abdominal segments V and VI. These ducts are slightly smaller than the dorsal ducts and all possess rims that are heavily sclerotized. Furthermore, all the cerarii are situated on sclerotized areas that are fairly well defined and the abdominal cerarii each possess 2 conical setae only. Although 1 or 2 cerarii on the head and thorax each possess more than 2 conical setae (maximum of 7) they are not unlike many cerarii present in these positions in some other species of Pseudococcus . The sclerotized cerarii, although a useful diagnostic character, are also characters of P. cryptus Hempel , P. callitris Williams and P. e u c a l y p t i c u s Williams. These species possess paired conical setae in all the abdominal cerarii and in most of the cerarii on the head and thorax. All cerarii of Laminicoccus contain multiple conical setae or at least on those cerarii anterior to the penultimate pair (C17). Pseudococcus pandanicola appears to be a true component of Pseudococcus as indicated by Takahashi (1939) and Beardsley (1966), and cannot be included in Laminicoccus as now defined. At present P. pandanicola is confined to Palau.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Pseudococcus pandanicola Takahashi. Adult female.