Aspidiella Leonardi, 1898

Tanaka, Hirotaka & Kamitani, Satoshi, 2021, Two new species of Coccomorpha (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha) collected from Japanese silver grass, Miscanthus sinensis (Poaceae) in Okinawa Island, Japan, Zootaxa 4941 (4), pp. 569-579 : 570-571

Genus Aspidiella Leonardi, 1898

Diagnosis (modified from Ferris 1938). Body membranous at maturity; pygidium acute, with well developed median and second lobes, the second lobe not bilobed, the third lobes usually, but not always, reduced to a small projection; paraphyses entirely lacking. Dorsal and ventral macroducts one barred-type, ducts on both surfaces of pygidium the same or almost the same size, numerous in a narrow submarginal zone. Plates well developed and irregularly bifurcate, trificate, fringed or fimbriate. Perivulver pores present or absent. Scale cover of adult female circular, flat, with exuviae central.

Remarks. The genus Aspidiella is similar to the genus Chortinaspis Ferris, 1938 and some Aspidiella species lacking perivulver pores are difficult to distinguish from Chortinaspis species, however, the Aspidiella species could be recognasable in having one-barred type of almost same size macroducts present on both dorsal and ventral surface of pygidium. Relationships among this genus species and the Cortinaspis species should be re-examined by molecular phylogenetic analysis.

Aspidiella kijimuna sp. nov. ƗṽL†‾γẇþưflŷLÿ

( Figs. 1–3 )

Material examined. Holotype: JAPAN, / Okinawa Prefecture / Okinawa Is. / Nishihara-cho, Kochi / on Miscanthus / sinensis / 14.xi.2020 / coll. H. Tanaka; adult female mounted singly on a slide ( ELKU). Paratypes: same data as for holotype, 9 adult females mounted singly (5 EUMJ, 4 ELKU).

Description of adult female (n = 10). Live adult female settled on inside of leaf sheath of host plant; not pupillarial; secretes a circular, flat, yellowish brown scale cover ( Fig. 1 ).

Slide-mounted adult female sub-oval to slightly turbinate, 1560 (820–1760) µm long, 1140 (700–1430) µm wide; broadest at metathorax or abdominal segment I. Derm membranous, except for pygidium, margin of most abdominal segments slightly crenulate. Antennae simple, each with 1 thick, flagellate seta; distance between antennae 190 (95–205) µm. Anterior and posterior spiracles not associated with disc pores. Pygidial lobes: With 3 pairs of well-developed sclerotised lobes protruding from pygidial margin. Median lobes (L 1) prominent and broad, with rounded apices, sometimes 1 lateral notch present on either side of each lobe; also each lobe with a basal sclerosis about 2–3x length of L 1, broad basally and tapering anteriorly; L 1 separated by interlobular space about 1/3 width of L 1. Second lobes (L 2) each about 4/5 (2/3–5/6) as wide as L 1, with apex mostly smooth and rounded but occasionally serrate, without notches. Third lobes (L 3) small but recognisable, each about 4/5 (1/2–4/5) width of L 1, smooth, with apex rounded but occasionally serrate, without notches. Fourth lobe absent. Paraphyses: Absent. Plates: With 1 pair of narrow plates between L 1, each tipped with a well-developed bifurcation, slightly longer than L 1; 1–2 (usually 2) plates in first space between L 1 and L 2, each plates bifurcate, trifurcate or fimbriate, longer than L 1; 2 or 3 (usually 3) plates between L 2 and L 3, bifurcate, trifurcate or fimbriate; 3–5 (0–5) plates on margin lateral to L 3, bifurcate or simply pointed. Ducts: Dorsal pygidial macroducts of 1-barred type, long and slender, with a total of 73–75 (50–87) ducts on each side of pygidium: with 4 (4–5) marginal to submarginal macroducts in area anterior to the space separating L 1, extending to about 3/4 (1/2–3/4) distance towards anal opening, each duct about 55–70 (40–80) µm long; 12–13 (10–17) macroducts in an irregular segmental band arising from first space between L 1 and L 2; 12–13 (7–15) macroducts in an obscure band arising from second space between L 2 and L 3; 18–22 (10–25) macroducts in irregular, elongate cluster on abdominal segment V, arising from third space and widening anteriorly. A submarginal cluster of 11 (2–26) dorsal macroducts present on abdominal segment IV; and abdominal segments I–III each with a number of dorsal marginal macroducts. A few dorsal microducts sometimes present on abdominal segments I–III and thoracic segments. Ventral submarginal macroducts present on abdominal segments I–VI (I–VI). Ventral long microducts present on margins to submargins of thoracic segments and head, as shown in Fig. 2 . Anal opening: Small and slightly oval, 22 (17–30) µm long, situated 4.1 (2.8–5.8) anal lengths from base of L 1, at caudal 1/3 of pygidium. Perivulvar pores: Absent.

Host plant. Miscanthus sinensis (Poaceae) .

Remarks. Aspidiella kijimuna sp. nov. differs from most of its congeners and the generic diagnosis proposed by Williams & Watson (1988) by having a relatively well-developed and recognisable third lobe. However, it shares several other morphological character states, especially the possession of several submarginal macroducts on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the pygidium and the lack of perivulvar pores, with A. phragmitis ( Takahashi, 1931) . A relatively well-developed third lobe is also found in another Aspidiella species, A. agalegae Mamet, 1974 , which differs from A. kijimuna by having perivulvar pores. We therefore tentatively place A. kijimuna in the genus Aspidiella .

Aspidiella kijimuna sp. nov. is similar to A. phragmitis in lacking perivulvar pores and in having several submarginal ducts on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the pygidium. However, the new species differs from A. phragmitis as follows (character states of A. phragmitis in brackets): (i) third lobes relatively well developed and recognizable (reduced to a small projection); and (ii) median lobes with rounded apices (with truncate apices). Aspidiella kijimuna is also similar to Chortinaspis tianmuensis Wei & Feng, 2011 in having 3 pairs of lobes and in lacking perivulvar pores. However, the new species differs from C. tianmuensis as follows (character states of C. tianmuensis in brackets): ventral macroducts present on abdominal segments I–VI (absent); and (ii) ventral marginal to submarginal long microducts on the thoracic segments and head (absent).

Etymology. The specific epithet “ kijimuna ” is an Okinawan noun that refers to a small tree spirit in the mythology of southern Okinawa Island, and is used in apposition.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Live adult females of Aspidiella kijimuna sp. nov. feeding inside the leaf sheath of the host-plant, Miscanthus sinensis.

FIGURE 2. Aspidiella kijimuna sp. nov., adult female collected in Okinawa Island in 2020. ANT, antenna; MD, macroduct; VMD, ventral microduct.

FIGURE 3. Aspidiella kijimuna sp. nov., pygidium of adult female collected in Okinawa Island in 2020.