Cerococcus michaeli Lambdin

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 : 163-164

Cerococcus michaeli Lambdin

Cerococcus michaeli Lambdin 1998: 297 –300.

Type details. NEW ZEALAND, North Island, Coromandel, on Dysoxylum spectabile (Meliaceae) .

Note: Lambdin (1998) states that the types series (holotype adf + 4 paratype adff on same slide) were deposited in the USNM, but these could not be located in Autumn, 2014 (Miller, pers. comm.); nor could they be located in NZAC (Robert Hoare, pers. comm.).

Comment. Specimens of this species were not seen in this study. Although C. michaeli has most of the main characteristics of adult females of Cerococcidae, Lambdin (1998) states that this species has: (i) asterolecaniid-type tubular ducts, which lack an inner ductule, but that there are 1–3 teeth within the cup-shaped invagination; (ii) a very small anal ring with six very short anal ring setae; (iii) an opening at the anterior end of the median anal plate for “waste elimination”, and (iv) anal lobes covered in small fleshy scale-like structures. All of these characteristics are unique and suggest that this species should probably be in a monotypic genus rather than Cerococcus . However, the type specimen could not be located in the USNM nor anywhere else and so this species has not been studied further.

The suggestion by Lambdin (1998) that there is an opening at the anterior end of the medial plate sounds highly unlikely. However, the anal ring is much reduced and has short setae. The long setae associated with the anal ring of other cerococcids are used for honeydew elimination as in Coccidae (see Malumphy, 1997). Clearly, because the anal ring setae are so short in C. michaeli , they are not designed for this and thus may not be able to expel the honeydew in the normal manner. It is possible, therefore, that Lambdin’s suggestion may be true although how the female would prevent itself from becoming clogged by honeydew is unclear! Perhaps it no longer feeds on phloem sap. On all other cerococcids, the anterior margin of the medial plate actually lies over the entrance to the anal tube so that the sclerotized anterior margin of the plate extends down around the anal ring. What happens on C. michaeli is not clear.

Based on the desciprion of Lambdin (1998), the main character-states diagnosing C. michaeli are: (i) 8-shaped pores of one size, very sparse throughout dorsum and submarginally on venter; (ii) tubular ducts more similar to those of the Asterolecaniidae , without an inner ductule, perhaps most abundant in marginal areas; (iii) cribriform plates each with large micropores and a very narrow border; with two submedial pairs, anterior pair possibly on abdominal segment IV/V and posterior pair on VI/VII; (iv) simple pores absent; (v) medial anal plate triangular, and possibly with an opening along anterior border; (vi) each anal lobe with overlapping scale-like structures on both dorsal and ventral surface; (vii) apical setae on each anal lobe short and spinose; (viii) another spinose seta present on posterolateral margins of each anal lobe; (ix) anal ring small with only six anal ring setae; (x) leg stubs absent; (xi) posterior stigmatic band bifurcated but disc-pores in posterior branch few; (xii) multilocular disc-pores absent; (xiii) antennae one-segmented, but perhaps with some setae on pronounced cones; (xiv) loculate pores near antennae absent, and (xv) vulva particularly large. As indicated above, this combination of characeristics is very different from those typical of other cerococcid genera. This species clearly needs further study.