Gigantococcus nigroareolatus (Newstead)

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 : 62-63

Gigantococcus nigroareolatus (Newstead)

Icerya nigroareolata Newstead, 1917: 8 .

Icerya maynei Vayssière, 1926: 326 . Synonymy by Unruh & Gullan (2008: 38).

Gigantococcus nigroareolatus (Newstead) ; Unruh & Gullan (2008: 37) .

Unmounted material. Appearance of adult female unknown.

Slide-mounted material. Adult female elongate (lectotype 5.5 mm long, 3.4 mm wide). Antennae 11 segmented. Eyes, mouthparts and legs as for genus. Thoracic spiracles as for genus; derm at opening of atrium with flagellate setae and 3–5 simple multilocular pores, each with quadrilocular, quinquelocular to hexalocular centre (appearing cruciform or star-shaped) and 5–7 widely spaced reniform outer loculi. These pores also scattered around mouthparts and medial to submedial head, prothorax and metathorax. Hair-like setae longest around margins and between antennae, scattered on dorsum on all body segments. Flagellate setae as for genus, densest on ventral head and thorax. Ovisac band made of simple multilocular pores, each with trilocular centre and 6–10 outer loculi. Compound multilocular pores, each 15–17 µm in diameter, with hexalocular centre (appearing hexagonal) and 5–7 elongate reniform outer loculi, lining anterior edge of ovisac band and scattered on margin of head and thorax. Pores of two types forming alternating transverse rows on dorsum and marginal abdomen: (i) compound multilocular pores, each with quinquelocular or hexalocular centre and 5–7 elongate reniform outer loculi, and (ii) simple multilocular pores, each with trilocular centre and 8–12 outer loculi. Ventromedial abdomen with alternating transverse rows of (i) simple multilocular pores, each with bilocular centre and 4 or 5 outer loculi, interspersed with flagellate and hair-like setae and (ii) simple multilocular pores, similar to vulvar and anal pores, with bilocular to trilocular centre and 10–12 outer loculi. Vulvar opening as for genus. Cicatrices large, hourglass-shaped, numbering 3, subequal in size. Abdominal spiracles as for genus. Anal tube and anal opening as for genus.

Type data. Icerya nigroareolata : UGANDA: Kampala, ex coffee, 4.xi.1913 (C.C. Gowdey); Jinja, ex Croton, 1914 (Dr. R. Van Someren). Icerya maynei : DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO [=CONGO BELGE]: Makaïantête , ex Acalypha , 20.vii.1917 (R. Mayné) .

Type material. Lectotype of I. nigroareolata here designated: ad ♀, “ Icerya nigroareolata /Newst/=to Cotype Material/On Coffee/ Kampala Uganda / C.C. Gowdy [sic] Colr./ Feb 4, 1913 /Cooley Coll. 645” ( USNM) . Paralectotypes: 2 ad ♀♀ (same slide as lectotype), 1 2 nd -instar nymph, (same data as lectotype) ( USNM); additional material? ( BMNH) .

Syntypes of I. maynei : 2 ad ♀♀, “ BELGIAN CONGO /Makaïantête/On Acalypha / Coll. R. Mayné / 20/vii/ 1917 /C.I.E. 3777/14501”//“ Icerya /maynei/Vayss. Cotype/Ex Coll. Mus. Nat. Hist Paris / D.J. Williams, det./ B17–1958–578” ( BMNH); 1 ad ♀, “ CONGO (ex Belge)/Makaïentete/ 20.vii.1917 /rep. larve bois/recolore en 1978/6580/2/MNHM – Paris ”//“TYPE [label]/ Icerya / maynei Vayss / ♀ adulte/probabl. syn. de/nigroareolata/s/ Acalypha ” ( MNHM) .

Taxonomic notes. Gigantococcus nigroareolatus has unique compound multilocular pores with a hexagonal centre and elongate reniform outer loculi. These pores form alternating transverse rows on the dorsal surface and clusters around the ventral margin.

The lectotype of I. nigroareolata is the female furthest from the original data label. The original description lists two type localities for I. nigroareolata , but the only material present in the USNM collection is from coffee in Kampala, Uganda, collected by C.C. Gowdey. The slide with the lectotype ♀ is accompanied by a piece of paper labelled, “not Pseudococcus but/ Icerya nigroareolata Newst /=to cotype material” .