Rosahendersonia prisca, Vea & Grimaldi, 2015

Vea, Isabelle M. & Grimaldi, David A., 2015, Diverse new scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) in amber from the Cretaceous and Eocene with a phylogenetic framework for fossil Coccoidea, American Museum Novitates 2015 (3823), pp. 1-80 : 56-59

Rosahendersonia prisca , new species

Figures 21A–B , 22

TYPE LOCALITY: Myanmar: Kachin: near Tanai Village . Albian-Cenomanian boundary .

TYPE: Holotype AMNH Bu-835, alate male in a 7 × 5 × 1 mm yellow, transparent polished amber piece; specimen in good condition with wings spread but hardly visible; accessible views are ventral and dorsal. Myanmar, Kachin, Tanai Village, on Ledo Road, 105 km NW Myitkyna), Leeward Capitol Corp coll., deposited in the American Museum of Natural History.

ETYMOLOGY: The epithet prisca is the feminine of Latin priscus meaning “belonging to former times, ancient,” a reference to a Cretaceous member of the Coccidae .

DIAGNOSIS: As for genus.

DESCRIPTION: Body minute, total length 535 μm, largest width at mesothorax 180 μm. Head (fig. 22A): Square shaped, 100 μm wide, 90 μm long. Dorsal head ridges (if present) obscured by an air bubble. Ventral midcranial ridge short, not extending to ventral eyes. Ocular sclerite without setae, with two pairs of simple eyes, of same diameter (23 μm), ventral eyes meeting medially, dorsal eyes situated anteriorly and almost laterally; ocelli present laterally (9 μm wide), posterior to dorsal eyes. Genae present, without setae. Antenna (fig. 22D): 10-segmented, total length 325–350 μm; measurements for each segment (in μm) scape: 20–25; pedicel: 45–50; III: 40–45; IV: 35–40; V: 35; VI: 35–40; VII: 30–35; VIII: 25–30; IX: 25–30; X: 28. All segments bearing hairlike setae but flagellar segments (III to X) also bearing additional fleshy setae. All flagellar segments with hairlike setae as long as width of antennal segment (ca. 15 μm), but also with a pair of longer, hairlike setae (ca. 30 μm) on segments II–X. Apical segment with 4 long, capitate setae, 2 bristles, and 3–4 fleshy setae of same length as other shorter setae on flagellar segments. Thorax (fig. 22BC): Head and thorax separated by a distinct, narrow neck constriction. Prothorax membranous, but no ridges visible. Dorsally: prescutum rectangular and horizontally broad (75 μm wide, 45 μm long); scutum with square membranous area medially; scutellum rectangular (60 μm wide, 30 μm long). Mesopostnotum well developed (50 μm long). Ventrally: basisternum without a median ridge, 107 μm wide, 70 μm long; anterior part of basisternum subequal to posterior part, lateropleurite well developed. Wings: Forewings of neococcoid type, ca. 605 μm long, narrow at base, rounded distally, subcostal ridge short, extending to less than 3/4 total wing length, with microtrichia. Alar setae and sensoria absent. Hamulohaltere absent. Legs (fig. 22E): Long and slender; coxa triangular, 45 μm long on procoxa; trochanter and femur 23 µm wide, 110–120 μm long on prolegs. Protibia: 100–110 μm long and 17 μm wide, with hairlike setae at least as long as tibial width, with a differentiated tibial spur, tarsus 1-segmented, 35-40 μm long, 10 μm wide, tarsal digitules finely clavate, reaching level of tip of claw; claw thin, almost uncurved, 20 μm long, claw digitules finely clavate, shorter than tarsal digitules, claw denticle absent. Abdomen: Relatively wide, parallel sided, 230 μm long, 110

μm widest, pleural setae present, with 3 or 4 longer setae on segment VIII, probably where glandular pouches are located. Genital segment (fig. 22F): Penial sheath subquadrate, short, with anterior half parallel sided, pointed apically, 72 μm long, 40 μm wide at base. Aedeagus thin and pointed.

Family Diaspididae Targioni Tozzetti, 1868

Normarkicoccus , new genus

TYPE SPECIES: Normarkicoccus cambayae , n. sp., by present designation and monotypy.

OCCURRENCE: India: Gujurat state, Tadkeshwar lignite mine near Surat (Rust et al., 2010). Earliest Eocene (Ypresian).

ETYMOLOGY: The genus is named after Benjamin B. Normark, for his contributions to understanding the systematics and phylogeny of the family Diaspididae , combined with the genus name Coccus . Gender: masculine.

DIAGNOSIS: Body minute, peared shaped, head and thorax not separated, with two pairs of simple eyes on each side, dorsal eye on anterior margin of head, ventral eyes joining on venter; penial sheath short but needle shaped apically.

SPECIES INCLUDED: N. cambayae , n. sp.

COMMENTS: This new genus was assigned to the Diaspididae based on the fused head and thorax, giving a general pear-shaped body; the forewing almost symmetrical on the anteroposterior axis and having an extremely reduced venation; thoracic structures almost unsclerotized; antennal shape, wherein the apical segment bears an apical seta; and the legs enlarged between tibia and tarsus. However, the absence of elongate and needlelike penial sheath and of capitate setae on the antennae (although two long setae are present) is different from all other members of Diaspididae . All Recent Diaspididae have a needle-type penial sheath, which the male, in order to reach the vulva, inserts under the hard cover or test (pupal cover) secreted by the female. The females of this genus might have lacked an armored cover or had a cover that was soft enough to be easily pierced. In the morphological phylogenetic analysis, Normarkicoccus is not retrieved within the Diaspididae , but is a sister group to the lineage including Cerococcidae , Aclerdidae , and Kerriidae . The Diaspididae is well supported, for instance, by the presence of a long, spinelike penial sheath and by the presence of antennal capitate setae, features that are absent in Normarkicoccus . Additionally, due to the specimen preservation, the amount of missing data could have led to our phylogenetic results. Additional character coding of features focusing on the Diaspididae , should provide a better understanding of the relationships of this fossil genus.

Figures

FIGURE 21. Photomicrographs of (A) dorsal and (B) ventral surfaces of Rosahendersonia prisca, n. sp., holotype AMNH Bu-835. (C) Dorsal surface of Normarkicoccus cambayae, n. sp., holotype AMNH Tad-135.

FIGURE 22. Details of Rosahendersonia prisca, n. sp. (A) Ventral view of head. (B) Dorsal view of mesothorax. (C) Ventral pro- and mesothorax. (D) Antenna. (E) Leg from femur. (F) Ventral view of abdominal segments VII and VIII and penial sheath.