Tachardina aurantiaca (Cockerell)

Hodgson, Chris, 2020, A review of neococcid scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccomorpha) based on the morphology of the adult males, Zootaxa 4765 (1), pp. 1-264 : 164-166

Tachardina aurantiaca (Cockerell) ( Fig. 65 )

Tachardia aurantiaca Cockerell 1903, 65 . Type data: Indonesia, Java, Garoet, on grapefruit, Citrus . Syntypes, female and first instar. Type depository: USNM.

Tachardina (Tachardina) aurantiaca (Cockerell) ; Chamberlin 1923, 205. Change of combination.

Tachardina aurantiaca (Cockerell) ; Hall 1935b, 475. Subsequent use.

Material examined. Thailand, Bangkok, on Ziziphys mauritiana (Rhamnaceae) , 24.iv.1973, K.L. Machler ( USNM): 2/2ad ♂♂ (fair, but with only one complete antenna and all wings somewhat damaged).

Mounted material: moderate-sized, total body length 1.46–1.51 mm; robust; antennae quite long; body not particularly hirsute, but fleshy setae (fs) fairly frequent ventrally on abdomen, these easily differentiated from hairlike setae (hs); length of fs subequal to or more than width of antennal segments. Wings about 3/4 total body length and about 1/3 as wide as long.

Head: appearing rather triangular in dorsal view; in side view, probably with ventral eyes on a postero-ventral protuberance; width across genae 227–240 μm. Median crest (mc) elongate and narrow anteriorly, with a very nar- row reticulated fringe; broadening posteriorly, where it is distinctly reticulated, and fusing with a large, heavily sclerotised, X-shaped postoccipital ridge (por); with 2 or 3 hs dorsal head setae (dhs) on each side. Mid-cranial ridge: ventral ridge (vmcr) quite strong, with well-developed lateral arms (lmcr) and extending about half-way to ocular sclerite posteriorly; with a narrow, reticulated border anteriorly which quickly broadens posteriorly, fusing with ocular sclerite (ocs); with 0–2 fs + 3–5 hs ventral mid-cranial ridge setae (vmcrs) anterior to ocular sclerite. Genae (g) without polygonal reticulations; genal setae (gs) absent. Eyes: with two pairs of round simple eyes; dorsal eyes (dse) subequal in width to ventral eyes (vse), each 50 μm wide. Ocelli (o) quite large, oval, 23 μm longest, placed just postero-laterally to dorsal simple eyes. Ocular sclerite (ocs) sclerotised and polygonally reticulated throughout, each reticulation rather small, without inner microridges. Preocular ridge (procr) with ventral arm long, extending about half-way across each ventral simple eye. Postocular ridge (pocr) strongly developed, extending dorsally past each ocellus, almost reaching postoccipital ridge; with a small extension along dorsal margin of each ocellus. Dorsal ocular setae (docs) and ventral head setae (vhs) absent; without setae between or posterior to ventral eyes. Preoral ridge (pror) possibly not well developed. Cranial apophysis (ca) elongate and pointed, 45–54 μm long.

Antennae: 10-segmented and filiform; 906 μm long (ratio of total body length to antennal length 1:0.61). Scape (scp): 53–63 μm long, 50–52 μm wide, with 1 hs on ventral surface and 2 hs on dorsal surface. Pedicel (pdc): length 56–60 μm, width 41–47 μm; with a few concentric ridges; with 5–7 fs + 1–3 hs. Segments III–X all 25–27 μm wide; fs 28–43 μm long; lengths of segments (μm): III 114–117; IV 116–123; V 108–119; VI 96–103; VII 96; VIII 80 and IX 80; approximate number of setae per segment: III 21 or 22 fs + 1 or 2 hs + 1 sensilla basiconica; IV 22 or 23 fs + 0 or 1 hs (+ 2 or 3 sensilla basiconica?); V 25 or 26 fs + 0 hs; VI 20–25 fs + 0 hs; VII–IX each with 23 fs + 0 hs (bristles, if present, undifferentiated). Segment X 101 μm long; not constricted apically; with probably 3 capitate setae (cap), about 24 fs, 3 sensilla basiconica (sb), two apically and one more basally; bristles not obviously differentiated.

Thorax. Prothorax: pronotal ridge (prnr) well-developed but not fused dorsally; with a broad, striated, lateral pronotal sclerite (prn), without lateral pronotal (lpns) setae. Medial pronotal setae, post-tergites and post-tergital setae absent. Sternum (stn 1) not sclerotised but with a rather diagonal, strong transverse ridge; median ridge very long, extending anteriorly to between procoxae; with a large sclerotised area at point where transverse and median ridge meet, with striations extending antero-laterally; without prosternal setae (stn 1 s). Anteprosternal (astn 1 s) and antemesospiracular setae (am 2 s) absent.

Mesothorax: prescutum (prsc) rather oval in shape, 95 μm long, 161 μm wide; sclerotised with small nodula- tions; prescutal ridges (pscr) and prescutal suture (pscs) well developed. Scutum (sct): median membranous area 153–157 μm wide, 62–70 μm long; scutal setae (scts) absent; lateral margins sclerotised and reticulated, both laterad to scutellum and mesad to prealare ridge. Scutellum (scl) 157–162 μm wide, 53–62 μm long; probably highly con- vex but whether tubular and with a foramen uncertain; one specimen with 2 small scutellar setae (scls). Basisternum (stn 2) 227 μm wide, 136–150 μm long; without a median ridge (mdr), but bounded anteriorly by a strong marginal ridge (mr) and posteriorly by a strong precoxal ridge (pcr 2); with 1 or 2 pairs of small basisternal setae (stn 2 s) on anterior half; lateropleurite (lpl) large and reticulated near marginal ridge; with a strong extension from marginal ridge anteriorly; furca (f) well developed, narrow-waisted, arms very divergent and extending anteriorly to close to marginal ridge. Mesopostnotum (pn 2) and postnotal apophysis (pna) well developed. Area bounded anteriorly by scutellum and laterally and posteriorly by mesopostnotum not sclerotised. Mesepisternum (eps 2) not reticulated; subepisternal ridge well developed. Postalare (pa) not reticulated anteriorly; without postalare setae (pas). Mesothoracic spiracle (sp 2): peritreme 30 μm wide. Postmesospiracular setae (pm 2 s) absent. Tegula (teg): well developed, with 4–6 tegular setae (tegs) on each side.

Metathorax: with a single pair of metatergal setae (mts). Dorsospiracular setae (dss) absent. Dorsal part of metapleural ridge (plr 3) well developed although hamulohalteres absent; without a suspensorial sclerite (ss). Ventral part of metapleural ridge well developed; metepisternum (eps 3) strongly sclerotised anteriorly, with 1 or 2 small hs postmetaspiracular setae (eps 3 s) on each side. Metepimeron (epm 3) sclerotised but without setae. Antemetaspiracular setae (am 3 s) absent. Metathoracic spiracle (sp 3): width of peritreme 26–28 μm. Metasternum (stn 3) membranous anteriorly but heavily sclerotised posteriorly, anterior part of sclerotisation with numerous pock-marks. Anterior metasternal setae (amss) absent; posterior metasternal setae (pmss): 3–8 fs.

Wings: hyaline, possibly 1125 μm long and 400 μm wide (ratio of length to width 1:0.36; ratio of total body length to wing length 1:0.76); small alar lobe (al) present; with 3 or 4 hs alar setae (als) on each side. Wing sclerites apparently normal. Hamulohalteres absent.

Legs: metathoracic legs possibly marginally longest. Coxae (cx): I 103–112; II 95–103; III 103–112 μm long; coxa III with 19–28 fs + 12–13 hs; long apical setae on each coxa about 50 μm long. Trochanter (tr) + femur (fm): I 227–232; II 211–219; III 219–228 μm long; trochanter III with 8–11 fs + 1 or 2 hs; long trochanter seta up to 58 μm; femur III with 18–23 fs + 18–23 hs. Tibia (ti): I 226–236; II 240–257; III 264–274 μm; tibia III with a total of about 72 setae, mainly fs and hs, a few becoming spur-like on distal third of leg; with two large apical spurs (tibs), each 15–20 μm long. Tarsi (ta): I 124–129; II 107–125; III 107–129 μm long (ratio of length of tibia III to tarsus III 1:0.44); tarsus III with 31–35 setae, some spur-like; tarsal spurs barely differentiated, each 23–29 μm long; presence of tarsal campaniform pore uncertain; tarsal digitules (tdt) significantly shorter than claw. Claws (c) quite long and thin, rather longer than width of tarsi, slightly curved, with a strong denticle; length: III 20–23 μm; claw digitules (cdt) slightly longer than claw.

Abdomen: segments I–VII: tergites (at) unsclerotised; sternites (as) of all segments sclerotised. Caudal extension (ce) of segment VII absent. Dorsal setae (ads) (totals): segments I–III each with 2 or 3 hs; IV 1 or 2 fs + 0 or 1 hs; V, VI & VII setae absent. Pleural setae: dorsopleural setae (dps): II–VI each with 1 or 2 hs on each side; VII: setae absent; ventropleural setae (vps) absent. Ventral setae (avs) (totals): II & III each with 29–32 fs + 0–4 hs; IV, V & VI each with 21–26 fs + 2–5 hs; VII with 20 fs + 2 hs.

Segment VIII: tergite (at) slightly sclerotised, with 0 or 1 fs (ante-anal setae (aas)?); sternite (as) forming a strongly sclerotised rectangular plate, possibly with a small sclerotised concavity at each anterior corner; with 4–6 fs ventral abdominal setae (avs); caudal extension (ce) absent but with 3 hs pleural setae, 1 dorsally and 2 ventrally, one short and one long. Glandular pouches (gp) present, each with numerous disc-pores; setae of glandular pouch (gls) each 136–138 μm long, with a slightly clavate apex.

Genital segments: penial sheath (segment IX + style): total length from base of sternite VIII 256–278 μm (ratio of total body length to penial sheath length 1:0.18); width at anterior end of segment IX 86–104 μm. Segment IX rather bulbous, with a strongly sclerotised border surrounding a large basal membranous area (bma) ventrally, divided by basal rod (bra) into two lateral areas, each lateral membranous area with 8–11 long setose setae; sclerotised margin to basal membranous area with 2 or 3 long setae on each side posteriorly. Style sclerotised, tapering to a fine apex. Basal rod long, 62–67 μm anterior to aedeagus, but also extending posteriorly down aedeagus where it slowly fades; anteriorly reaching strongly sclerotised anterior border to basal membranous area (bma). Aedeagus (aed) long and slowly tapering, 207 μm long (ratio of aedeagus length to anterior part of basal rod length 1:0.31); apex almost at tip of penial sheath, one specimen with a small membranous tip to aedeagus. Penial sheath with 8–16 minute setae down each margin, tending to give the margin a slightly saw-like appearance, and with a cluster of small sensilla present near apex.

Figures

FIGURE 65. Tachardina aurantiaca (Cockerell). Macropterous male. (Kerriidae). Where A=cranial apophysis.