Aleurodicus pauciporus, John H. Martin, 2004

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 : 26-28

Aleurodicus pauciporus sp. nov.

( Figs 9, 75–76)

PUPARIUM. Habitus. Body colour yellowish, with sparse waxy secretion in the form of marginal meal, slight medial mealy dusting, and a fine filament issuing from each of the large compound pores. Cuticle pale or with submargin distinctly brownish. Individuals feed alongside the major veins, under leaves. Margin. Outline ovoid, slightly indented at distal end of longitudinal moulting suture, 0.90–1.08 mm long, 0.64–0.82 mm wide, generally widest at abdominal segment I/II (n=11). Margin rather irregular (Fig. 76), not toothed, not modified at thoracic tracheal openings. Dorsum. Longitudinal moulting suture reaching puparial margin; transverse moulting sutures curving anteriorly, closely approaching puparial margin almost opposite meso­/metathoracic division. Dorsal disc almost smooth, although somewhat irregular­corrugate between abdominal compound pores and puparial margin. Only 7 abdominal segments discernible medially, but pockets not overlapping segment VI (Fig. 75). Vasiform orifice transversely oval, smooth; operculum transversely rounded­rectangular, its posterior edge bearing a pair of fine setae; lingula head very large, rather coarsely spinulose, tongue­shaped, its apex extending over half way to the posterior margin of puparium ( Figs 9, 75). Chaetotaxy. Anterior marginal setae absent. Extreme outer submargin bearing 12 pairs of hair­like setae (Figs 75–76), including the nominal caudal pair; single pairs of pro­, meso­ and metathoracic and eighth abdominal setae present, similar to submarginal setae; eighth abdominal setae situated slightly anterolateral to anterior corners of operculum (Fig. 75); posterior marginal setae present, similar to caudal setae. Pores. Large compound pores (Fig. 75) 28–40 µ m in diameter (size correlated with puparial size), each apparently with a truncate axial process that does not emerge beyond the pore mouth; small compound pores, on abdominal segments VII and VIII, presenting laterally, 10–14 µ m wide, shape of those on segment VII reminiscent of unshelled peanuts, while those on segment VIII are distinctly mushroomshaped (Fig. 75). Outer submargin (Fig. 76) with a narrow zone of sparsely distributed tiny simple pores, probably of the minute wide­rimmed type of Russell (1965), very few extending mesad beyond the row of submarginal setae. Dorsal disc sparsely provided with septate pores, only one or two on each side of submedian part of abdominal segments II– VI (Fig. 75), and similarly scarce in subdorsum. In the vicinity of the abdominal compound pores on segments III–VII are small numbers of loosely aggregated bright pores, most highly visible mesal to the compound pores (Fig. 75). Very small numbers of other simple pores are distributed across the dorsal disc. Ve nt e r. Ventral abdominal setae similar to posterior abdominal submarginal setae, but finer. Legs each two­segmented, smooth, their distal segments usually with one or two tiny setae visible, and the usual apical claw; middle and hind legs sometimes each with a small basal seta visible. Antennal bases anteromesal to fore legs, their apices reaching mid­length of hind legs ( Fig. 9). Tracheal folds absent.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Holotype puparium, BELIZE, CFR, Monkey Tail track, on Casearia tremula (Flacourtiaceae) , 04.iv.2003 (J.H.Martin #7846) ( BMNH). Paratypes (all from CFR, Martin coll.): 11 puparia (1 teneral), 7 third instar larvae, 3 adult females, same data as holotype ( BMNH, USNM); 8 puparia, 1 third­instar larva, 1 third­instar / puparium intermoult, 4 adult females, Las Cuevas study plots, on Ilex belizensis (Aquifoliaceae) , 30.v.2004 & 04.vi.2004 ( BMNH); 29 puparia, 3 third­instar larvae, 1 second­instar larva, 2 adult males, 6 adult females, same locality, on? Lauraceae , 30.v.2004 & 05.vi.2004 (4 separate samples) ( BMNH, BZ, USNM); approximately 20 puparia and earlier instar exuviae dry on leaf, same locality, on? Lauraceae , 30.v.2004 ( BMNH).

Other material (see discussion): 9 puparia, COSTA RICA, Guanacaste Province, Santa Rosa NP, on undetermined host, 06.iii.1990 (J.M.Cox) ( BMNH); 7 puparia, COSTA RICA, northern Heredia Province, 10 km north of Puerto Viejo, on undetermined host, 02.ii.1983 (J.H.Martin) ( BMNH).

ETYMOLOGY. The species name is derived from the Latin pauci (meaning a few), reflecting the unusually low density of simple pores in the puparia of A. pauciporus .

COMMENTS. The most notable feature of the puparia of this species is the paucity of dorsal simple pores, which are usually more numerous, and of more types, in species of Aleurodicus . The lack of simple pores is reflected in similarly sparse secretion by the immature stages, with the puparia of some colonies distinctly brownish submarginally. Nevertheless, the nature and distribution of the compound pores, and the puparial chaetotaxy, strongly indicate inclusion in Aleurodicus . Within the genus, A. pauciporus is the only described species with such scarcity of simple pores. The puparia from Costa Rica, listed above, are very similar to the type material but have a higher density of submarginal pores.