Antecerococcus thesii Hodgson & Williams

Chris J. Hodgson & Douglas J. Williams, 2016, (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha, Coccomorpha) with particular reference to species from the Afrotropical, western Palaearctic and western Oriental Regions, with the revival of Antecerococcus Green and description of a new genus and fifteen new species, and with ten new synonomies, Zootaxa 4091 (1), pp. 1-175 : 120-122

Antecerococcus thesii Hodgson & Williams , sp. nov.

( Fig. 46 )

Material studied. Holotype and paratype ff: SOUTH AFRICA, Cape Province, Cape Town, on Thesium sp. ( Santalaceae ), 9.vi.1978, S. Neser (SANC; HC #5473): 2/2adff (f-g).

Mounted material. Body roundly pear-shaped, 1.4–1.6 mm long, 1.0– 1.2 mm wide.

Dorsum. Eight-shaped pores of 3 or 4 sizes: (i) largest 15–20 x 10.0–12.5 µm, in broad bands 2–3 pores wide around each stigmatic pore band, and in swirl-like areas submedially on each thoracic segment, with pores becoming smaller around margins of each group; also with a group on margin laterad to cribriform plates and 5–7 in a line along margins of posterior abdominal segments; (ii) intermediate-sized 8-shaped pores, each 10 x 6.5–7.0 µm with the two halves of each pore fused at least on 1 side, sparse along margins of areas covered by largest 8- shaped pores; and (iii) smaller pores, each 7.5 x 4 µm, evenly distributed throughout most of rest of dorsum but becoming smaller on posterior abdominal segments (5 x 2.5–3.0 µm), just anterior to median anal plate; also with 3–6 within apex of each stigmatic pore band. Simple pores small, each about 2.5 µm wide. Cribriform plates round, each 10–18 µm wide with a broad sclerotized margin and quite large micropores; present in 2 submedial groups of 3 or 4 on each side of abdominal segment IV (one specimen also with a single plate on 1 side of segment III). Dorsal setae few. Tubular ducts with outer ductule each about 28 µm long, and slightly broader than those on venter. Anal lobes membranous apart from distinctly sclerotized inner margins; each lobe about 90 µm long with a long apical seta, 150–180 µm long; apical fleshy seta on dorsal surface slightly bent, each 18–20 µm long; more basal fleshy seta longer, each 26–28 µm long; ventral setose seta near apex 21–25 µm long; medioventral setae or outer margin seta short, each about 8 µm long; each lobe with 2 small 8-shaped pores. Median anal plate about 40 µm long and 50 µm wide at base, with a slightly serrated apex. Anal ring with 4 pairs of setae, each 80–90 µm long.

Venter. Intermediate-sized 8-shaped pores, each 10 x 4–5 µm and slightly different in structure to those on dorsum, in a broad marginal band and in broad sparse transverse bands across abdominal segments. Simple pores similar to those on dorsum. Small bilocular pores oval, each about 5 x 4 µm, sparse medially on head and thorax. Spiracular disc-pores small near spiracles, larger on dorsum, each 4–5 µm wide with mainly 5 loculi; posterior band bifurcated; in broad bands near spiracles but then narrowing to 2–4 pores wide before broadening slightly at apex; with 8–12 in a group anterior to each peritreme plus 80–95 pores in each anterior band, and 65–80 in each posterior band; apex of each pore band with 3–6 small 8-shaped pores; also with 3–7 quinquelocular disc-pores near each antenna. Small convex closed pores absent. Multilocular disc-pores, each about 7 µm wide with mostly 10 loculi, distributed as follows: abdominal segment IX 1 or 2 submarginally; VIII 3 on each side + 0–4 medially; VII 0–3 submarginally + 7–12 in a group on each side of vulva; and then in bands about 2 pores wide: VI 3–7 submarginally + 40 medially; V 4–10 submarginally + 35–49 medially; IV 5 or 6 submarginally + 49–51 medially; III 5–7 submarginally + 40 medially; II 4–8 submarginally + 22–25 medially; also with 1–5 laterad to each metathoracic leg stub but none medially or near spiracles. Tubular ducts similar to those on dorsum but narrower; present throughout but perhaps less abundant than dorsally. Ventral setae showing nothing distinctive; preanal setae each 66 µm long; companion setae short. Leg stubs quite large and obvious. Antennae each 45–47 µm long, 28–30 µm wide, without either a conical apex or a distinct setal cavity. Clypeolabral shield about 125 µm long. Spiracular peritremes each 28–30 µm wide.

Comment. Antecerococcus thesii is characterised by having the following combination of character-states: (i) dorsum with 8-shaped pores of three or four sizes; (ii) largest 8-shaped pores mainly restricted to broad bands around each stigmatic pore band and in submedial swirls on each thoracic segment; (iii) posterior abdominal segments with a line of 5–7 large 8-shaped pores on each side; (iv) most 8-shaped pores small and present throughout most of dorsum and in apices of each stigmatic pore band; (v) cribriform plates in a group of three or four on each side of abdominal segment IV; (vi) leg stubs large; (vii) posterior stigmatic pore bands bifurcated; (viii) multilocular disc-pores in eight segmental bands across abdomen and laterad to metathoracic leg stubs, and (ix) antennae without an apical cone-like apex or a setal cavity.

The adult female of A. thesii falls within Group D in the key to species of Antecerococcus and keys out close to A. andamanensis , A. oumeensis and A. passerinae .

Name derivation. The name thesii is after the generic name of the host plant, Thesium sp., on which it was collected. The name is in the Latin genitive.

Figures

FIGURE 46. Antecerococcus thesii Hodgson & Williams, sp. nov. Adult female.