Aleurodes nubilans Buckton

David, B. Vasantharaj & Manjunatha, And M., 2003, A new species of Aleurocanthus Quaintance & Baker (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) from Areca catechu in India, with comments on the status of Aleurodes nubilans Buckton, Zootaxa 173, pp. 1-4 : 2

Aleurodes nubilans Buckton , nomen dubium

Aleurodes nubilans Buckton, 1900 . Indian Mus. Notes 5: 36.

Aleurodes nubilans Buckton. Peal, 1903 , J. Asiat. Soc. Beng. 72: 95.

Aleurocanthus nubilans (Buckton) . Quaintance & Baker, 1914, Tech. Ser. Bur. Ent. U. S. 27: 102. Aleurocanthus nubilans (Buckton) . Quaintance & Baker, 1917, Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus. 51: 347­348. Aleurocanthus nubilans (Buckton) . Singh, 1931, Mem. Dept. Agric. India 12(1): 64­65.

Buckton (1900) did not describe Aleurodes nubilans in meaningful detail. He only illustrated the adults, with their wings bearing darkly pigmented clouds, even though larval stages were very briefly mentioned. His description of the spiny surface of these larvae does strongly indicate likely inclusion in the genus Aleurocanthus , with the patterned wings of the adults supporting this, but nothing further can be deduced in the absence of actual specimens.

The original material had been received by Buckton from the Manager of Court of Ward’s Estates, Backergunge ( India), having caused considerable damage to betel nut plants. Kirkaldy (1907), in his Catalogue of the Hemipterous Family Aleyrodidae , quoted the host of Aleurodes nubilans as being Areca catechu , while citing Buckton’s original locality for the betel­feeding colony. It is considered that this quoted host was a straightforward error on the part of Kirkaldy.

Peal (1903) noted that the type material of A. nublians was too badly damaged for proper description and he regretted that no description of the pupal stage had been made by Buckton. Quaintance & Baker (1917) also remarked “This species is unknown to us in nature and the description is so indefinite that we are unable to compare it at all satisfactorily with our material from India.” The whereabouts of the type material is now unknown, precluding any further efforts to resolve the matter.

Singh (1931) described Aleurocanthus rugosa , also from Piper betle in India. However, for the reasons discussed above, it is similarly not possible to demonstrate whether this may have been conspecific with Buckton’s nublians . Certainly the species recently collected from areca in Karnataka is quite different from A. rugosa , does not match any described species known to the authors, and is here described and illustrated.

In view of the above Aleurodes nubilans Buckton (1900) is regarded as a nomen dubium.