Icerya imperatae Rao, 1951

Unruh, Corinne M. & Gullan, Penny J., 2008, Identification guide to species in the scale insect tribe Iceryini (Coccoidea: Monophlebidae), Zootaxa 1803 (1), pp. 1-106 : 81-82

Icerya imperatae Rao

Icerya imperatae Rao, 1951a: 58 .

Unmounted material. Adult female brownish, covered with thin white secretion of wax with hair-like setae projecting out from wax (adapted from Rao, 1951a). In contrast, Williams et al. (2006) described the live adult female as follows: body reddish orange, legs black, dorsum covered with white wax which also projects as short, thick filaments at posterior end (loc. cit., fig. 1); a white wax ovisac (loc. cit., fig. 2) produced ventrally but not protruding far beyond end of abdomen.

Slide-mounted material. Adult female elliptical, widest across thorax, 4.9–5.2 mm long, 2.7–2.8 mm wide (holotype 4.9 mm long, 2.7 mm wide). Antennae 8 segmented. Robust hair-like setae of varying lengths covering derm, longest setae between antennae and forming marginal clusters around abdomen. Open-centre pores absent. Ovisac band consisting of an anterior transverse row only, 3 or 4 pores wide, made of simple multilocular pores, each 9–10 µm in diameter, with bilocular (very rarely trilocular) centre and 8–12 outer loculi; similar pores forming marginal clusters on abdomen, scattered on marginal head and thorax and across dorsal surface. Simple multilocular pores, each 7–8 µm in diameter, with bilocular centre and 4–6 reniform outer loculi, scattered on ventromedial head, thorax and abdomen. Vulva as for genus, surrounded by short, fine hair-like setae and relatively few typical multilocular pores each 11–12 µm in diameter with bilocular centre and 4–8 reniform outer loculi. Cicatrix round. Abdominal spiracles in 3 pairs. Anal tube as for genus; anal opening as for genus, surrounded by typical multilocular pores, each 8–9 µm in diameter, with bilocular or trilocular centre and 8–12 outer loculi.

Type data. PHILIPPINES: Occidental Negros, Sagay, Victorias and Manapla, ex Imperata exaltata , Saccharum spontaneum and Bambusa spinosa (W.D. Pierce) .

Type material. Holotype: ad ♀, “ Icerya n. sp/ imperatae Rao / holotype./ on Saccharum /spontaneum/Ada. Tanao, Sagay/Occ. Negros./fr. W.D. Pierce / Oct. 10, 1928 /A18 Tube 14” ( USNM) . Paratypes: 3 1 st -instar nymphs (same slide as holotype); ad ♀, “ Icerya imperatae Rao /1 [encircled]/ on Imperata exaltata /Victorias, Occ. Negros/P.I./W.D. Pierce, Coll./ Jan. 24, 1928./A26”//“A26/ON IMPERATA /EXALTATA/P21/VICTO- RIAS/OCC. NEGROS/P.I./1/24/28/BY/W.D. PIERCE” ( USNM) ; ad ♀, 4 1 st -instar nymphs, 2 embryos (nymphs and embryos on one slide), “ Icerya nsp/ imperatae Rao /on sugar cane/Victorias, Occ. Negros/fr. W.D. Pierce/ April 10, 1928 /A18 Tube 12” ( USNM) ; 2 ad ♀♀, 3 embryos (embryos on one slide), “ Icerya nsp/ imperatae Rao / on Imperata exaltata /Victorias, Occ. Negros/fr. W.D. Pierce / Jan. 24, 1928./A26 Tube 17” ( USNM) ; ad ♀, “ Icerya imperatae /Rao/2 [encircled]/on sugarcane/Hda. Cayang, Manapla,/Occ. Negros/fr. W.D. Pierce/ Aug. 6, 1928 /A18 Tube 16” ( USNM) ; 7 1 st -instar nymphs (one slide), “ Icerya nsp/ imperatae Rao / on sugarcane/Hda. Cayang, Manapla,/Occ. Negros/fr. W.D. Pierce / Aug. 6, 1928 /A18 Tube 16”//“A18/ PRENOCOCCUS/AND its destroyers/2 CocieneLLIDS/CANE/VICTORIAS/OCC. NEGROS/4/10/28” ( USNM) ; 2 nd -instar nymph, “A18 Icerya /n.sp./on cane/ Lagos an/Cadiz, Oc. Negros /3/13/29/WD Pierce” ( USNM) ; ad ♀, “ Icerya n sp. / imperatae Rao /3 [encircled]/On Bambusa spinosa /Manapla, Occ. Negros/fr. W.D. Pierce/ July 11, 1928./A18 Tube 15”//“A-J8/ On BAMboo/MANAPLA/ Occ. NeGROS. P.I./7/13/28” ( USNM) ; ad ♀, 6 1 st -instar nymphs, 6 embryos (nymphs and embryos on one slide), “ Icerya n sp/ imperatae Rao /on sugar cane/Hda. Salome, Manapla/Occ. Negros/ Fr. W.D. Pierce / April 24, 1928./A18 Tube 13” (ad ♀ at BME; nymphs end embryos at USNM); 4 boxes of dry material ( USNM) .

Other material examined. PALAU: ad ♀, Babeldaob Island , ex Brachiaria decumbens , 29.iv.2005 (F. Sengebau) ( BME, CMU127 ) .

Taxonomic notes. Icerya imperatae looks unlike any other iceryine species and is distinguished by the presence of an ovisac band consisting only of an anterior transverse row of pores.

The World Catalogue did not provide complete type information, as it gave only the collection information of the holotype ( Ben-Dov, 2005: 197). Rao (1951a: 60) explained, “This species is described from specimens collected by W.D. Pierce on Imperata exaltata , Saccharum spontaneum and Bambusa spinosa in Occidental Negros ( Philippines).” Complete type data are listed above. For more information about this species refer to Williams et al. (2006).