Saccharicoccus chinensis Zhang, Wu & Wu, 2018

Zhang, Jiang-Tao, Wu, Bo-Wen & Wu, San-An, 2018, A review of the genus Saccharicoccus Ferris, 1950 (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae) in China, with description of a new species, Zootaxa 4375 (1), pp. 127-135 : 128-132

Saccharicoccus chinensis Zhang, Wu & Wu sp. n.

( Figs 1 , 2 , 3 )

Material examined. Holotype. Adult female (mounted singly on a slide), CHINA: Guizhou, Southwest Guizhou Autonomous Prefecture, Libo County, Guizhou Maolan National Nature Reserve [N 25° 19’, E 107° 56’], on Miscanthus sp. ( Poaceae ), 20.vii.2015, coll. Jiang-Tao Zhang, deposited in BFUC.

Paratypes deposited in BFUC, all from CHINA: 1 adult female (on 1 slide, the specimen on the slide from DNA-extracted voucher, Genbank no. MG214903 ), Jiangxi, Ganzhou City, Huichang County, Lanshan Park [N 25° 36’, E 115° 46’], on Poaceae , 21.viii.2016, coll. Jiang-Tao Zhang & Qin-Gang Dong; 3 adult females (on 2 slides), Jiangxi, Ganzhou City, Huichang County, Lanshan Park [N 25° 36’, E 115° 46’], on Poaceae , 21.viii.2016, coll. Jiang-Tao Zhang & Qin-Gang Dong; 2 adult females (on 1 slide), Zhejiang, Zhoushan City, Taohua Island [N 29° 50’, E 122° 16’], on Miscanthus sp., 4.viii.2016, coll. Jiang-Tao Zhang & Qin-Gang Dong; 2 adult females (on 1 slide), Hebei, Handan City, Shexian County, Longshan Park [N 36° 34’, E 113° 40’], on Miscanthus sp., 23.ix.2016, coll. Ming Zhao & Xu-Bo Wang; 2 adult females (on 1 slide), Zhejiang, Jiangshan City, Zhangcun Township, Shuangxikou Village [N 28° 23’, E 118° 41’], on Miscanthus sp., 11.viii.2016, coll. Jiang-Tao Zhang & Qin-Gang Dong; 4 adult females (on 2 slides), Guangxi, Hechi City, Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County, Chuanshan Town, Duchuan Villag [N 25° 03’, E 108° 07’], on Poaceae , 24.vii.2015, coll. Jiang-Tao Zhang; 1 adult female (on 1 slide, the specimen on the slide from DNA-extracted voucher, Genbank no. MG214902 ), same data as holotype; 2 adult females (on 1 slide), same data as holotype; 2 adult females (on 2 slides), Hubei, Yichang City, Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County, Wufeng Town [N 30° 12’, E 110° 40’], on Calamagrostis sp. ( Poaceae ), 10.vii.1999, coll. San-An Wu.

Paratypes deposited in IZCAS, all from CHINA: 1 adult female (on 1 slide), Jiangxi, Fuzhou City, Nancheng County, Magu Mountain [N 27° 32’, E 116° 33’], on Poaceae , 21.viii.2016, coll. Jiang-Tao Zhang & Qin-Gang Dong ; 2 adult females (on 1 slide), Guizhou, Southwest Guizhou Autonomous Prefecture, Libo County, Guizhou Maolan National Nature Reserve [N 25° 19’, E 107° 56’], on Miscanthus sp., 20.vii.2015, coll. Jiang-Tao Zhang .

Description. Appearance in life ( Fig. 1 ): adult female elongate, covered in white mealy wax, with caudal filaments present, each filament longer than posterior-most abdominal segment; body contents mostly pinkishgray.

Slide-mounted specimens (n=8): body of adult female ( Fig. 2 ) elongate, 2.8–5.6 mm long, 1.5–2.6 mm wide. Anal lobes moderately developed, ventral surface of each lobe bearing an apical seta, each 160–205 µm long. Antennae each 320–350 µm long, 7 segmented. Eye spot located at body margin lateral to antennal base. Legs well developed, slender; hind coxa 88–150 µm long, hind trochanter + femur 250–293 µm long, hind tibia + tarsus 250– 280 µm long; claw 20–26 µm long, both tarsal digitules and claw digitules knobbed, longer than claw. Ratio of lengths of hind tibia + tarsus to hind trochanter + femur 0.95–1.05:1. Ratio of lengths of hind tibia to tarsus 1.92– 2.34:1. Translucent pores present on anterior and posterior surface of hind coxa, sometimes anterior proximal edge of hind coxa indistinct, a few also occurring on apical part of hind tibia. Minute pores present on anterior and medial derm surrounding hind coxa. Circulus present, square to dumb-bell-shaped, 30–65 µm long and 45–57 µm wide, divided by an intersegmental line. Clypeolabral shield 175–200 µm long; labium 108–125 µm long; ratio of lengths of labium to clypeolabral shield 0.54–0.68:1. Ostioles moderately developed, each lip with 7–15 trilocular pores and 0–2 short setae. Anal ring 88–105 µm in diameter, bearing 6 setae, each seta 88–125 µm long. Cerarii numbering 2 pairs: anal lobe cerarii (C18) each containing 2 conical setae, each seta 15–17 µm long, accompanied by 2–3 auxiliary setae and 10–15 trilocular pores, all situated on a membranous to lightly sclerotized area; penultimate cerarii (C17) each containing 1–2 conical setae, each seta 13–15 µm long, accompanied by 3–7 trilocular pores.

Dorsum. Setae short and slender, each 15–60 µm long. Multilocular disc pores each 7–8 µm in diameter, forming transverse rows at anterior and posterior edges of abdominal segments IV–VII, and sparsely present on body margin and head. Trilocular pores evenly distributed. Oral collar tubular ducts of 2 sizes present: a large type, each 6–7 µm long, 3–4 µm wide, distributed in transverse rows across abdominal segments IV–VII and in small groups around posterior abdominal margins, also around body margins on anterior abdominal segments and head, a few scattered on median area of thorax; and a small type, each 5–6 µm long, 2.0–2.4 µm wide, distributed across middle of abdominal segments, and sparsely present around body margin.

Venter. Setae slender, longer than those on dorsum, each 15–105 µm long. Multilocular disc pores same as those on dorsum, numerous, present posterior to vulva, in transverse rows at posterior and anterior edges of abdominal segments IV–VII, also occurring on body submargin. Trilocular pores evenly distributed. Oral collar tubular ducts of 2 types present, similar to those on dorsum: a large type, present in transverse rows across abdominal segments IV–VIII, also in marginal groups around head, thorax and abdomen; and a small type mainly distributed across middle of abdominal segments and sparsely around body margin.

Host-plants. Poaceae : Calamagrostis sp. and Miscanthus sp.

Distribution. China (Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, Hubei, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces).

Biology. Living under the leaf sheaths of its host plants.

Etymology. The species is named after the country of origin, China, combined with the Latin suffix “- ensis ” denoting origin.

Remarks. Saccharicoccus chinensis sp. n. is similar to S. isfarensis in the distribution of tubular ducts and multilocular disc pores, but it differs from the latter by the following features (condition of S. isfarensis given in parenthesis): (i) translucent pores present on hind coxa (pores absent from hind coxa); (ii) minute pores mostly situated on derm medial and anterior to hind coxa, see Fig. 3A (minute pores concentrated lateral and posterior to hind coxa, as far posteriorly as abdominal segment II, see Fig. 3B ).

The new species also resembles Palmicultor lumpurensis (Takahashi) in possessing minute pores in the derm surrounding each hind coxa, but differs from the latter by the following features (condition of P. lumpurensis given in parentheses): (i) anterior edge of clypeolabral shield without internal, transversely oblong extension (anterior edge of clypeolabral shield with internal, transversely oblong extension); (ii) cerarii numbering 2 pairs only (cerarii numbering 2–7 pairs); (iii) large type of tubular duct about the same width as a trilocular pore, longer than wide (large type of tubular duct much wider than a trilocular pore, but narrower than a multilocular pore, each about as long as wide or sometimes slightly shorter).

In S. chinensis sp. n., the number of tubular ducts and multilocular pores vary between individuals. Some specimens have only a small number of ducts and pores in the anterior part of the body, in other specimens these ducts and pores can be much more numerous.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus photographs of Saccharicoccus chinensis sp. n. on Miscanthus sp. (Poaceae). A: body color of adult females and nymphs pinkish-gray; B: body covered with white mealy wax, and caudal filaments present on adult females.

FIGURE 2. Adult female of Saccharicoccus chinensis sp. n. A: antenna; B: trilocular pore; C: minute pores; D: hind coxa; E: claw; F: multilocular disc pore; G: two sizes of oral collar tubular duct; H: anal lobe cerarius; I: dorsal seta.

FIGURE 3. Comparison of the distribution of minute pores, A: on Saccharicoccus chinensis sp. n.; B: on S. isfarensis (Borchsenius).