Palaealeurodicus holmesii (Maskell) Martin, 2008

Martin, Jon H., 2008, A revision of Aleurodicus Douglas (Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae), with two new genera proposed for palaeotropical natives and an identification guide to world genera of Aleurodicinae, Zootaxa 1835 (1), pp. 1-100 : 50

Palaealeurodicus holmesii (Maskell) comb. nov.

(Figs 78, 98, 99)

Aleurodes holmesii Maskell, 1896: 435 . Lectotype puparium, Fiji [designated by Martin, 1999: 19, NZAC, examined].

Aleurodicus holmesii (Maskell) Cockerell, 1903: 664 .

Aleurodicus malayensis Takahashi, 1951: 2 . Lectotype puparium, West Malaysia [designated by Martin, 1999: 19, BMNH, examined]. Synonymised by Martin, 1985: 312.

DISTRIBUTION. Oriental Region – India, Sri Lanka, Thailand; Austro-oriental Region – Java, New Guinea, West Malaysia; Australia – Queensland, [New South Wales]; Pacific Region – Fiji.

MATERIAL EXAMINED (all BMNH). 19 paralectotype puparia of Aleurodes holmesii , Fiji, on Psidium sp. (Myrtaceae) (ex-Maskell dry collection 1984); lectotype puparium and 7 paralectotype puparia of Aleurodicus malayensis, Malaya , Kuala Lumpur, on undetermined tree, 10.iii.1943 (Takahashi); 1 puparium, “ Ceylon ”, Kandy, 02.i.1910 (Green); 4 puparia, “ Siam ”, Pah Meeung Mountains, 18.i.1928 (Cockerell); 5 mounted puparia + duplicate dry material, Java, 1911 (Hargreaves); all nymphal stages, adult males, Australia, Queensland, beach-top forest 2km north of Cape Tribulation, on? Lauraceae , 13.xii.1996 (Martin); 10 puparia, 2 adult females, Papua New Guinea, Morobe Province coast, Buso, on undetermined host and Guioa sp. (Sapindaceae) , ix-x.1979 (Martin).

COMMENTS. P. holmesii is the most widely distributed of the Palaealeurodicus species , with voucher material in BMNH from the Malay Peninsula in the west to Fiji in the east. The species is regarded as being variable in the length of its compound pore axial processes (which was the main character used to separate malayensis from holmesii ), and it differs from P. wallaceus mainly in the characteristics of the marginal teeth (see key, p. 47).