Leonardius, Quaintance & Baker

John H. Martin, 2004, Whiteflies of Belize (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Part 1 — introduction and account of the subfamily Aleurodicinae Quaintance & Baker, Zootaxa 681, pp. 1-86 : 44-45

LEONARDIUS Quaintance & Baker

Leonardius Quaintance & Baker, 1913: 33 . Type species Aleurodicus lahillei Leonardi, 1910: 316 – 320, by original designation.

DIAGNOSIS AND COMMENTS. As interpreted here, Leonardius comprises species with the following combination of puparial characters: a subdorsal ovoid patch of porous / granular structure, termed an “agglomerate pore”, present on each side of body on cephalic segment and on each of abdominal segments III–VIII ( Figs 24, 91–92); two pairs of abdominal compound pores present, on segments III & IV; cephalic compound pores present or absent; the compound pores are each situated in the centre of an agglomerate pore; thoracic cicatrices absent (i.e. compound pores absent in third­instar larva); 4 pairs of submedian cephalothoracic setae present; normally 15 pairs of submarginal setae present, each not extending to puparial margin; with submarginal area planar, true margin almost smooth but submarginal sculpture giving appearance of laterally­contiguous teeth (Fig. 91); remainder of dorsal disc bearing only scattered simple pores.

The puparia of species of Leonardius and Bakerius in BMNH each possess only two pairs of abdominal compound pores, situated on segments III & IV. Puparia of species placed in Bakerius also possess a pair of cephalic compound pores, whereas those of the two hitherto described species of Leonardius have only agglomerate pores on the cephalic segment, a gland type not seen in the species of Bakerius .

Two puparia collected from Erythrina from Colombia, and an extensive sample from a mistletoe in Belize, possess agglomerate pores and cephalic compound pores ( Fig. 24), with abdominal pores as in the described species of Leonardius , thus combining the Bakerius compound pore arrangement with the presence of agglomerate pores that is diagnostic for Leonardius . Puparia­associated adults of B. attenuatus Bondar , B. phrygilanthi Bondar , L. lahillei and the Belizean sample are available in BMNH, and differences in such characters as wing venation, wing coloration, antennal structure, abdominal wax glands and head shape seem consistent with interspecific differences only. It is possible that future opportunities to study the puparia and associated adults of more species, in more detail, may lead to the conclusion that Bakerius and Leonardius are synonymous. However, agglomerate pores are a feature not seen in any other members of the Aleurodicinae , and it is considered that the two genera should remain separate pending further study. The Belizean sample represents a new species of Leonardius , which is here described. The two Colombian specimens represent another species, which remains undescribed.