Neogreenia

Zheng, Xinyi & Wu, San’An, 2023, Morphology of all the developmental stages of Neogreenia osmanthus (Yang & Hu) (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha), and transfer of the genera Neogreenia MacGillivray and Jansenus Foldi to the family Qinococcidae, Zootaxa 5244 (2), pp. 101-122 : 120

Genus Neogreenia as a member of the family Qinococcidae

Originally, MacGillivray (1921) erected the genus Neogreenia MacGillivray and placed it in the subfamily Kuwaniinae , along with Americoccus MacGillivray (= Matsucoccus ), Matsucoccus Cockerell , Steingelia Nassonov and Stomacoccus Ferris. Morrison (1928) did not assign Neogreenia a position in his Margarodidae classification, he assigned N. zeylanica in Kuwania based on adult females with many capitate digitule-like setae on the terminal end of the tibia. Tang and Hao (1995) placed Kuwania Cockerell and Neogreenia in the tribe Kuwaniini, Kuwaniinae , Margarodidae . Wu and Nan (2012) considered that Neogreenia could not be a member of the family Margarodidae sensu stricto, and placed Kuwania , Neogreenia , Neosteingelia Morrison and Jansenus Foldi together in the family Kuwaniidae . Gavrilov-Zimin (2018) placed Neogreenia within the tribe Kuwaniini, Xylococcinae , Margarodidae sensu lato, along with Jansenus , Kuwania and Neosteingelia . These placements were mainly based on the morphology of the adult females.

Qinococcidae was introduced to take Qinococcus podocarpus Wu , based on the fore wing venation and presence of an inverted “π”-like post-tergite in the adult male, and the vulva opening longitudinally in the adult female.

Within the genus Neogreenia , the adult males of N. zeylanica (Green) and N. zizyphi Tang were described by Green (1922) and Tang and Hao (1995) respectively, but these descriptions are too simple to clarify their taxonomic relationships. The adult male of N. osmanthus (Yang & Hu) is therefore the first member of this genus to be described in detail. After comparing it with other adult males in Margarodidae sensu lato, it was found that N. osmanthus was close to Qinococcus podocarpus Wu 2022 (Qinococcidae) . They share the following important characteristics, which other scale insects do not have: (i) ventral epicranium of head with a series of sclerotized ridges forming a five-sided box; (ii) post-tergite of prothorax well-developed, forming an inverted “π”-like structure; (iii) setae each with a large socket and (iv) the fore-wings having similar venation. Neogreenia osmanthus differs from Q. podocarpus in having (contrasting characteristics of Q. podocarpus given in parenthesis): (i) small membranous areas within the epicranium (epicranium lacks membranous areas); (ii) compound eyes each with 140–160 ommatidia (with 82–90 ommatidia); (iii) dorsal ocelli present outside the ocular sclerite (present in the ocular sclerite); (iv) anterior tentorial arms present (absent); (v) pedicel shorter than scape (as long as or longer than scape); (vi) radius with 20–24 circular sensoria (with 13–17 circular sensoria); (vii) legs with bifurcated setae (bifurcated setae absent), and (viii) claw digitules capitate (claw digitules setose). The adult females of N. osmanthus and Q. podocarpus both have longitudinal vulvas, but N. osmanthus differs mainly from the latter in having well-developed antennae and legs, and 8 pairs of abdominal spiracles, whereas Q. podocarpus has reduced antennae and legs, and 5 pairs of abdominal spiracles. The first-instar nymphs of these two species are also similar, with 7 segmented antennae and with the two apical antennal segments with similar features.

Detailed descriptions and illustrations of adult males of Kuwaniidae have been reported by Hodgson and Foldi (2006) and Zheng and Wu (2022): they all have few setae on membranous areas, the venter of epicranium with a five-armed star, pronotal ridge and loculate pores absent, and fore wing without pterostigma, cubitus posterior or branched media. In contrast, the adult male of N. osmanthus has numerous setae, the venter of epicranium with a series of sclerotized ridges forming a five-sided box, pronotal ridge and loculate pores present, and fore wing with pterostigma, cubitus posterior and branched media, as do Qinococcidae .

Based on the above discussion, we consider that the genera Neogreenia and Qinococcus are closely related, and that Neogreenia should be transferred from the family Kuwaniidae to the family Qinococcidae .