Aleurovitreus risor, Martin, 2005

Martin, Jon H., 2005, Whiteflies of Belize (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Part 2 - a review of the subfamily Aleyrodinae Westwood, Zootaxa 1098 (1), pp. 1-116 : 31-32

Aleurovitreus risor sp. nov.

( Figs 23 , 105–106)

PUPARIUM. Habitus. Individuals mostly feeding solitarily, scattered under leaves, amongst rather long leaf hairs. Without visible secretions, shiny. Brownish pigmentation, when present (see Dorsum), clearly visible with a hand lens (Fig. 105). Margin. Outline oval but often distorted by presence of adjacent leaf hairs, slightly flattened caudally and more acute anteriorly, 0.65–0.72 mm long, 0.43–0.53 mm wide, generally widest opposite transverse moulting sutures (n=16). Morphological margin ventrally deflexed, often rather uneven in mounted specimens, degree of dorsal overhang greatest anteriorly, with 14–16 rounded crenulations per 0.1 mm, not modified at thoracic tracheal openings. Apparent margin smooth. Dorsum. Cuticle varies from entirely pale, to possession of a brownish ovoid subdorsal patch on either side of abdominal segments II–V/VI along with a cephalic patch of similar pigmentation, between cephalic setae and apparent puparial margin. Longitudinal moulting suture reaches round ventrally to deflexed morphological margin, rather uneven in proximal half but not keeled; transverse moulting sutures terminate slightly anterior to confluence of longitudinal and transverse moulting sutures, in outer subdorsum. Meso–metathoracic division pronounced, transverse and straight; other cephalothoracic segmentation fainter, angled slightly anteriad; abdominal segmentation distinct into subdorsum, segment VII not reduced medially; a pair of straight, parallel longitudinal folds define submedian area of abdomen between transverse moulting sutures and vasiform orifice, submedian abdominal depressions somewhat indicated at intersections of these folds with abdominal intersegmental divisions, but cephalothoracic depressions absent. Dorsal disc generally smooth, but subdorsum with a pattern of highly irregular reticulations, with which the intersegmental divisions coalesce distally. Vasiform orifice cordate, smooth internally, inset from apparent margin by about 1.5 times its own length; operculum similar, fully occupying orifice and obscuring lingula head which can just be seen to possess a pair of apical setae. Chaetotaxy. Anterior and posterior marginal setae arising from crenulations of morphological margin, fine. Cephalic and eighth abdominal setae stout, hair­like, over twice length of vasiform orifice in most specimens; caudal setae similar but usually somewhat shorter, placed right on apparent margin; meso­ and metathoracic setae only represented by vestigial bases, set submedially and close to meso­metathoracic division. Pores. Geminate pore/porettes placed as shown in figure 23: cephalic—3 subdorsal pairs (within pigmented area when that is present), 1 submedian pair posterior to each cephalic seta, 1 submedian pair close to cephalic/prothoracic division; thoracic pairs—typically 2 or 3 pairs on each segment; abdominal pairs—I, III, V, VII & VIII each with a submedian pair just lateral to longitudinal submedian folds, III–VII each with a subdorsal pair, a small number of others place in outer subdorsum where segmentation not defined. Venter. Smooth, readily imprinting with pattern of leaf stomata. Ventral abdominal setae fine, about length of vasiform orifice, their bases almost underlying bases of eighth abdominal setae. Legs smooth, bisegmental, the adhesion padded apices directed mesad; middle and hind legs each with a minute setal base, but seta so small as to be hardly evident. Antennae similar in length to distal segments of fore legs, their bases anteromesal to fore legs. Thoracic tracheal folds only subtly marked, but a narrow band of stipples present between anterior abdominal spiracles and fore legs, skirting legs laterally. A pair of pronounced adhesive sacs present mesal to juxtaposition of fore and middle legs.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Holotype puparium, BELIZE, CFR, on Piper sp. (Piperaceae) , 22.vi.2002 (J.H.Martin #7703) ( BMNH). Paratypes: 48 puparia, same data as holotype ( BMNH, USNM). Other material: dried leaf material with attached puparia, from type sample ( BMNH).

ETYMOLOGY. The specific epithet is the latin word risor (meaning a laugher or mocker), describing the curious face­like image presented by more darkly pigmented puparia when viewed in the reversed position, with the posterior apex of the puparium uppermost (Fig. 105).

COMMENTS. A. risor is one of a suite of four Piper ­feeding species found in the CFR, all of them with a pair of longitudinal, parallel folds defining the submedian part of the puparial abdomen, with the meso­ and metathoracic dorsal setae reduced to little more than their submedially placed bases close to the meso–metathoracic division, and with a pronounced pair of submedian thoracic adhesive sacs. In the other three species, the deflexed part of the morphological dorsum varies from very narrow and evenly folded (Figs 108) to extremely wide (such that the venter is only half the overall puparial width); in one species the geminate pore/porettes are borne on small tubercles.

Figures

FIGURE 23. Aleurovitreus risor gen. & sp. nov., holotype puparium (see Figs 105­106 for photographs).