Aleurodicus floccissimus (Martin, Hérnandez-Suarez & Carnero) Martin et al., 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 : 32

Aleurodicus floccissimus (Martin, Hérnandez-Suarez & Carnero) comb. nov.

( Figs 69 , 127, 140–142)

Lecanoideus floccissimus Martin, Hérnandez-Suarez & Carnero, 1997: 1262 . Holotype puparium, Canary Is [BMNH, examined].

DISTRIBUTION. Neotropical Region – Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Trinidad; Palaearctic Region – Canary Islands (La Gomera, Tenerife).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Type material listed in description, Canary Islands and Ecuador ( BMNH, USNM); numerous specimens from all countries listed above ( BMNH) .

COMMENTS. Lecanoideus is here regarded as a junior synonym of Aleurodicus for reasons discussed on p. 15. This species was described from an introduced population on Tenerife, Canary Islands. It had probably escaped detection there for several years through coexisting with A. dispersus , which had been established since the 1960s. At the time of its description, material from Ecuador was discovered in the BMNH collection, confirming that this was indeed an introduction from the neotropics. More New World specimens have since been found amongst unidentified USNM quarantine-intercepted material examined for the present study, and it has more recently been field-collected from several other neotropical locations (BMNH).

The puparia of some populations are devoid of small compound pores on abdominal segment VIII, but others have a pair of pores (sometimes a single pore on one side only) underneath the lingula ( Fig. 69 ). With specimens of both types occurring in some samples, this does appear to be intraspecific variation. A. floccissimus may be distinguished from A. mirabilis , the other species formerly included in Lecanoideus , by reference to couplet 23 of the key to species (p. 18), and comparison of figures 69 and 70.

Figures

FIGURE 69 Aleurodicus floccissimus (Martin et al.) comb. nov., puparium, Tenerife, with arrow (a) indicating tiny 8th abdominal compound pore almost underlying lingula.