Paraputo guadalcanalae, Williams, 2005

Williams, D. J., 2005, An account of the mealybug genus Paraputo Laing (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae) in the Pacific region, Journal of Natural History 39 (37), pp. 3343-3358 : 3349-3351

Paraputo guadalcanalae sp. nov.

( Figure 3 )

Description

Appearance in life not recorded. Body of adult female on microscope slide, broadly oval, membranous, 3.00 mm long, 2.85 mm wide, widest at about abdominal segment III. Anal lobes poorly developed, each ventral surface with an apical seta about 165 Mm long, and an almost quadrate sclerotized area. Antennae each about 430 Mm long, with six segments, third segment longest. Legs well developed, short for size of body; hind trochanter+femur about 370 Mm long, hind tibia+tarsus 330 Mm long; claw stout, about 50 Mm long. Tarsal digitules pointed. Hind coxae noticeably larger than anterior coxae. Ratio of lengths of hind tibia+tarsus to hind trochanter+femur 0.89. Ratio of lengths of hind tibia to tarsus 1.75. Translucent pores present on anterior and posterior surfaces of hind coxa only. Labium about 240 Mm long, 170 Mm wide, longer than clypeolabral shield. Circulus about 200 Mm long, 225 Mm wide, gently notched at each side and with faint division. Ostioles present, well developed; inner edges of lips sclerotized and each lip with three or four flagellate setae and numerous trilocular pores. Anal ring about 115 Mm long, distorted slightly on one side in available specimen, situated about three times its length from apex of abdomen; with two rows of pores and about 11 pairs of setae, three pairs of setae in normal positions longer than others, each about 80 Mm long, others about 40 Mm long. Cerarii numbering nine pairs including frontal pair. Anal lobe cerarii each with about nine conical setae of different sizes, two larger than others, each 20 Mm long, 5 Mm wide at base, with a group of trilocular pores on a membranous area. Anterior cerarii on abdomen similar to anal lobe pair as far forward as abdominal segment V (C 15–17), becoming smaller anteriorly with fewer setae and trilocular pores as far forward as cerarii on abdominal segment I (C 11). Frontal cerarii each with about seven conical setae.

Dorsal surface with numerous, long flagellate setae present, 50–80 Mm long; some noticeably longer setae, mostly 125 Mm long, present on each side of anal ring and a few setae, each about 40 Mm long, situated anterior to anal ring. Multilocular disc pores absent. Trilocular pores numerous, evenly distributed. Discoidal pores, each a little smaller than a trilocular pore and with wide sclerotized rim, scattered.

Ventral surface with slender flagellate setae, similar in length to those on dorsum. Multilocular disc pores absent. Trilocular pores not as numerous as those on dorsum, evenly dispersed. Discoidal pores, same as on dorsum, scattered. Oral collar tubular ducts, each narrower than a trilocular pore, present medially near posterior edges of abdominal segments V and VI and in small marginal groups between abdominal segments VI and VII and segments VII and VIII.

Material examined

Holotype: adult ♀, Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal, Tina Lulu , on unknown plant, 19 March 1955 (coll. E. S. Brown) ( BMNH) . Paratypes: Solomon Islands, same data as holotype, three third-instar ♀♀ (one enclosing adult ♀) (BMNH).

Etymology

The name is based on the locality ‘‘Guadalcanal’’ with the Latin genitive indicating ‘‘of’’ or ‘‘from’’.

Comments

This is an unusual species of Paraputo in lacking multilocular disc pores entirely on the venter and in possessing only nine pairs of cerarii. There is a single frontal pair of cerarii and the other eight pairs occur on the abdomen. P. guadalcanalae is probably related to P. szemaoensis (Borchsenius) described from China by Borchsenius (1960), a species with only abdominal cerarii but lacking the frontal pair. Besides, P. szemaoensis possesses ventral multilocular disc pores but these are absent in P. guadalcanalae . Both species possess numerous anal ring setae.

The type species of Paraputo . P. ritchiei Laing , an African species described by Laing (1929) and discussed by Ferris (1955) (5 Ripersia anomala Newstead ), also lacks cerarii on the thorax, as in P. guadalcanalae , but differs in possessing two pairs of cerarii on the head and multilocular disc pores on the venter.

Figures

Figure 3. Paraputo guadalcanalae sp. nov., adult female.