Pseudomontanococcus Kozár and Hodgson, 2008

Kozár, Ferenc, Benedicty, Zsuzsanna Konczné & Hodgson, Chris, 2008, A new felt scale genus (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha; Eriococcidae) from Papua New Guinea, with descriptions of two new species, Zootaxa 1934, pp. 47-62 : 48

Pseudomontanococcus Kozár and Hodgson gen. nov.

Type species: Pseudomontanococcus martini Kozár and Konczné Benedicty sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Adult female: antennae 6 segmented. Frontal lobe or tubercle absent. Eye present on margin. Venter. Labium 3 segmented, although divisions of segments unclear (more so on immature stages), basal segment with 1 pair of spinose setae; other labial setae also spinose. Stylet loop reaching metacoxae. Legs long and well-developed; tarsal and claw digitules slightly knobbed. All coxae with spinulae on anterior surface; metacoxae with translucent pores on posterior surface. Trochanter with two pores on each side. Claws without a denticle. Legs each with a few spinose setae, and with one sensory pore on each tarsus. Spiracles with a large group of seven-locular pores in atrium. Multilocular pores each with 5–9 loculi, scattered throughout venter but abundant in a wide longitudinal submedian band. Abdomen with a few flagellate setae, plus several small spinose setae. Cruciform pores absent. Microtubular and macrotubular ducts present throughout. A weak area of sclerotisation present submedially on segment VII. Dermal spinules present throughout. Anal lobes each with a strong spinose suranal seta, 1 short spine-like seta, plus a long flagellate seta in submarginal position. Dorsum. Dorsal setae strong, conical and spine-like; of two sizes: larger along margin, and in a longitudinal median band; short spinose setae sparse on all segments. Macrotubular ducts numerous; microtubular ducts scattered among dorsal setae and often with 1–3 present at base of larger spines. Dermal spinules present on both dorsum and venter. Anal ring with a sparse row of pores along outer margin, and with eight long setae. Anal lobes strong and sclerotized, each lobe longer than wide, with a spine-like seta on both inner and outer margins, plus an apical seta; entire dorsal surface of anal lobes covered with sclerotised protuberances. Cauda present, about twice as long as wide. An area of sclerotisation present submedially on segment VII on both dorsum and venter.

Comment. The adult females of Pseudomontanococcus share with Montanococcus Henderson (2007) the ventral longitudinal band of multilocular pores. They differ in having (character-states on Montanococcus in brackets): (i) anal lobe setae large and spinose (anal lobe setae relatively small); (ii) basal segment of labium well-developed (basal segment apparently absent); (iii) large conical spinose setae present in a median longitudinal band on dorsum (conical setae very short, in transverse rows); (iv) a dorsal sclerotized plate on penultimate abdominal segment (absent); (v) 1–3 microtubular ducts associated with base of all or most large spinose setae (less clearly associated with setal bases); (vi) a well-developed, sclerotised cauda or dorsal median plate present (absent); (vii) anal lobes rather large but of normal tapering shape (anal lobes massive, with additional lobules); (viii) anal ring setae long and hair-like (anal ring setae sword-shaped on two species but flagellate on 3rd), and (ix) anal ring with only a few large pores, each variable in shape (anal ring with many pores of rather uniform shape and size).