Protortonia ecuadorensis Foldi

Williams, D. J. & Gullan, P. J., 2008, A revision of the Neotropical scale insect genus Protortonia Townsend (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Monophlebidae: Llaveiini), Journal of Natural History 42 (1 - 2), pp. 77-128 : 106-111

Protortonia ecuadorensis Foldi

( Figures 8 , 9 )

Protortonia ecuadorensis Foldi, 2006:102 . Holotype adult female, Ecuador, Biblián, on trunk of Salix sp. ( Salicaceae ), 16.xii. 1954 (H.R. Yust) (USNM).

Adult female ( Figure 8 )

Body on microscope slide membranous, 6.50–7.90 mm long, 3.7–5.0 mm wide, broadly oval, posterior end rounded. Eyes each 140–180 Mm long, 120–130 Mm wide. Antennae each 11-segmented (one antenna of one female with nine segments), 1650– 1950 Mm long, tapering; apical segment 190–220 Mm long, 100–110 Mm wide; all antennal segments with flagellate setae each 40–175 Mm long, except on apical segment where some also 200–225 Mm long; fleshy setae, each 45–120 Mm long, present on apical four antennal segments. Legs well developed; hind coxa 300– 360 Mm long, hind trochanter + femur 1120–1400 Mm long, hind tibia 960–1160 Mm long, hind tarsus 430–500 Mm long; ratio of lengths of hind tibia + tarsus to hind trochanter +femur 1.19–1.28; ratio of lengths of hind tibia to tarsus 2.20–2.32; claws each 140–160 Mm long, with about four minute denticles and paired digitules; distal trochanteral setae each about 400 Mm long; inner tibial setae each 40–50 Mm long; outer tibial flagellate setae each 100–150 Mm long. Remains of clypeolabral shield and labium barely discernible. Mesothoracic spiracles each 270–320 Mm long, 180– 220 Mm wide. Metathoracic spiracles each 310–360 Mm long, 230–260 Mm wide. Abdominal spiracles each with atrium 25–30 Mm wide, about 35 Mm long. Anal opening 140–160 Mm long, distorted in available specimens, surrounded by about 30 slender flagellate setae, each about 50 Mm long; inner ring of anal tube 175–240 Mm wide. Medial cicatrix 350–360 Mm long, 320–325 Mm wide; outer cicatrices each about 275–325 Mm long, 225–270 Mm wide.

Dorsal surface with abundant multilocular disc pores in bands and occupying most spaces between setal collars, at least nine deep in submarginal areas of each abdominal segment; pores each mostly 8–10 Mm in diameter with 8–14 outer loculi, except around anal opening each mostly 10–12 Mm in diameter with 15–17 outer loculi; pores on most of body each with oval central loculus, but pores on anterior thorax and head often with three or four central loculi. Minute duct-like pores scattered. Setae dense, slender and flagellate, majority each 30–40 Mm long and about 2.5 Mm wide at base, with collars about 7.5 Mm wide at base and 2.5 Mm long; a few other setae thicker and longer, each 60–85 Mm long, present across middle of segments and a few, each about 110 Mm long, situated near anal opening. Long, thick flagellate setae on margins of posterior abdominal segments each 350–500 Mm long, about 12.5 Mm wide at base, thickest setae with collars each about 30 Mm wide at base, 12.5 Mm long; other marginal setae each 160–250 Mm long, except for a single seta opposite each fore coxa, 250–300 Mm long; setae on head margin mostly broken in available specimens.

Ventral surface with abundant multilocular disc pores, similar to those on dorsum, except those around vulva each with 12–16 outer loculi. Setae similar to those as on dorsum but slightly thinner in medial areas, each mostly 20–45 Mm long; some setae in medial areas of abdomen thicker, each about 135 Mm long. Posterior marginal setae each about 350–375 Mm long, and stout setae between antennae each 260–425 Mm long.

Third-instar female ( Figure 9 )

Body on microscope slide about 3.85 mm long, 2.50 mm wide, posterior end rounded. Eyes each 40 Mm long, 30 Mm wide. Antennae each about 1000 Mm long, with 9 segments; apical segment 140 Mm long, 70 Mm wide; all antennal segments with flagellate setae, each 110–140 Mm long, except segments VIII and IX where some setae each about 210 Mm long; segments III–VIII with fleshy setae, each 70–80 Mm long. Legs well developed; hind coxa about 210 Mm long, hind trochanter + femur about 740 Mm long, hind tibia about 630 Mm long, hind tarsus about 310 Mm long; ratio of lengths of hind tibia +tarsus to hind trochanter +femur about 1.27; ratio of lengths of hind tibia to tarsus about 2.0; claws each about 90 Mm long, with about 4 minute denticles and paired digitules about length of claw; distal trochanteral setae each about 400 Mm long; inner tibial setae each 50–60 Mm long; outer flagellate tibial setae each about 90 Mm long. Clypeolabral shield wider than long, about 275 Mm long and 340 Mm wide. Labium about 350 Mm long, 275 Mm wide. Mesothoracic spiracles each about 210 Mm long, 175 Mm wide. Metathoracic spiracles each about 250 Mm long, 185 Mm wide. Abdominal spiracles each with atrium about 15 Mm wide, 25 Mm long. Anal opening about 85 Mm long, 60 Mm wide, surrounded by about 46 flagellate setae, each about 70 Mm long, distributed in 2–3 rows; inner ring of anal tube about 150 Mm wide. Medial cicatrix slightly notched at middle, about 275 Mm long, 240 Mm wide; outer cicatrices each about 215 Mm long, 175 Mm wide.

Dorsal surface densely covered in multilocular disc pores, each 7.5–10.0 Mm in diameter, most with quadrilocular or quinquelocular centre surrounded by 0–10 outer loculi, but number of outer loculi highly variable; pores around anal opening often about 11 Mm in diameter, each with oval centre and about 10 outer loculi. Minute duct-like pores present, scarce. Setae abundant, mostly stiff but not spinelike, each about 50–60 Mm long, 5 Mm wide at base, with collar about 10 Mm wide at base and 5 Mm long; setal apex rounded and slightly expanded; thicker setae often present across middle of segments, each 75–110 Mm long, and setae lateral and posterior to anal opening each about 275 Mm long. Posterior marginal setae each about 450 Mm long, about 10 Mm wide at base, with collar about 30 Mm wide at base and 20 Mm long; other marginal setae each about 190 Mm long; marginal setae opposite each fore coxa each about 300–340 Mm long and those opposite each mid coxa each about 250–300 Mm long; marginal setae on head each about 270–300 Mm long.

Ventral surface with multilocular disc pores similar to those on dorsum but less numerous, some with trilocular centres situated near body margin. Minute duct-like pores sparsely present around margins. Setae in medial areas less numerous and thinner than those on dorsum, mostly stiff, each 30–60 Mm long; setae towards margins similar to dorsal setae; some thicker setae in medial areas each about 135 Mm long and marginal setae on abdomen each about 190 Mm long; thick setae on frons each about 340 Mm long.

Material examined

ECUADOR, Biblián, on trunks of Salix sp. ( Salicaceae ), 16.xii.1954 (H. R. Yust), two adult females (holotype and paratype), two adult males (paratypes) on total of four slides ( USNM); Quito, on peach (letter dated 25.i.1950) (M.A. Cevallos C.), six adult females on two slides ( USNM); COLOMBIA, Tunja, on Prunus communis (Rosaceae) , 8.xii.1971 (labelled from H.E. Martin), four adult females on four slides ( USNM), one adult female ( BMNH); same data but on P. persica , 15.viii.1971 (F. Mosquera), one third-instar female ( USNM), two second-instar nymphs +one firstinstar nymph (enclosing pharate second-instar nymph) on one slide ( USNM).

Comments

The most striking feature of the adult female of this species, differing from all the other species except for P. quernea , is the abundance of multilocular disc pores on the dorsal and ventral surfaces. On the dorsum, these pores are about nine deep in the submedial areas of each abdominal segment. Protortonia ecuadorensis differs from P. quernea in having dorsal multilocular disc pores around the anal opening each mostly with 15–17 outer loculi, whereas in P. quernea each pore mostly has 10– 12 outer loculi. Also, many pores on the head and anterior thorax of P. ecuadorensis have a trilocular or quadrilocular centre, whereas all pores on P. quernea have an oval centre. Furthermore, the dorsal setae on adult females of P. ecuadorensis are each predominately 30–40 Mm long, and shorter than those of P. quernea , which are each 50–75 Mm long. Both available second-instar nymphs have damaged body cuticle and one is missing four of its legs; we have included this species in the key to species based on second-instar nymphs but have not described or illustrated this instar.

There is an unconfirmed record of a Protortonia species from Colombia on Salix humboldtiana ( Gallego and Angel 1992) ; this might be P. ecuadorensis , but no specimens are available for study.

Figures

Figure 8. Protortonia ecuadorensis Foldi, adult female.

Figure 9. Protortonia ecuadorensis Foldi, third-instar female.