Antecerococcus sparsiporus Hodgson & Williams

Chris J. Hodgson & Douglas J. Williams, 2016, (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha, Coccomorpha) with particular reference to species from the Afrotropical, western Palaearctic and western Oriental Regions, with the revival of Antecerococcus Green and description of a new genus and fifteen new species, and with ten new synonomies, Zootaxa 4091 (1), pp. 1-175 : 115-117

Antecerococcus sparsiporus Hodgson & Williams , sp. nov.

( Fig. 44 )

Material studied. Holotype and paratype ff: SOUTH AFRICA, Cape Province, Franschhoeck Pass, on Brunia ?nodiflora ( Bruniaceae ), 11.iv.1978, S. Neser (SANC): 1/1adf holotype + 5/5adff paratypes (young adults, g); (BMNH): 2/2adff (paratypes, g); (MNHN) 2/2adff (paratypes, g).

Also: SOUTH AFRICA, Cape Province, intercepted Plant Quarantine Technology Center, Suwon, South Korea, 11.iii.2015, on Brunia sp., Incheon A/B (per Soo Suh) (BMNH): 2/2adff (g).

Mounted material. Body elongate pear-shaped, small, 0.8–1.0 mm long, and 0.5–0.6 mm wide.

Dorsum. Eight-shaped pores of 3 sizes: (i) largest pore, each 10 x 7 µm, present in a sparse line of 1–10 along anterior margin; also occasionally with a single pore on margin of about abdominal segment I; (ii) intermediatesized pores, each 6.5–7.0 x 4.0–4.5 µm, restricted to 1–5 around apex of each stigmatic pore band; and (iii) small pores, each 5 x 3 µm, very sparse throughout rest of dorsum, smallest posteriorly; minute pores absent from stigmatic pore bands. Simple pores minute, each 1.5 µm wide, sparse. Cribriform plates present singly submedially on each side of abdominal segment IV, each roundish to elongate oval, 13– 22 x 10–11 µm; each with fine micropores and a narrow margin. Dorsal setae few, each setose showing nothing distinctive. Tubular ducts with each outer ductule about 20 µm long, inner ductules about 15 µm long; outer ductules subequal to or slightly wider than those on venter; abundant throughout. Anal lobes with quite broad areas of sclerotization on each inner margin, with weak diagonal ridges; setae as follows: apical seta each quite short, 55–85 µm long; fleshy setae on dorsal surface both very bent, more basal setae 16–22 µm long, more apical setae 12–16 µm long; ventral setose setae near apex each 7–10 µm long; medioventral setae absent; outer margin setae each 7–8 µm long; each lobe with 2 small 8-shaped pores near base of fleshy setae. Median anal plate rounded, 30–40 µm long and 30–33 µm wide at base. Anal ring with 4? pairs of setae, each about 50 µm long.

Venter. Derm membranous. Eight-shaped pores similar to smallest pores on dorsum, each 5 x 3 µm, in a narrow sparse marginal band, plus a few (1–4) anterior to each line of multilocular disc-pores on abdominal segments III–VI; also with a line of slightly larger pores just anterior to anal ring, each 7.5 x 4 µm. Simple pores sparse. Small bilocular pores roundish, each about 4 x 3.5 µm; sparse medially on head and thorax. Spiracular discpores, each about 4 µm wide with mainly 5 loculi, in a small group of 3–6 pores just anterior to each peritreme and then in a short band, sparse near spiracle but quickly widening into a small, denser apical group; anterior band with a total of 15–35 pores; posterior bands bifurcated, each branch with 15–40 pores; each band with 1–5 intermediatesized 8-shaped pores around apex; quinquelocular disc-pores (some with only 4 loculi) also present in a line extending posteriorly from each antenna, with 2–6 between antenna and anterior spiracles, 2–5 (rarely 0) between anterior and posterior spiracles and occasionally 1 posterior to posterior spiracles; also with 2–5 disc-pores laterad to each antenna. Small convex closed pores absent. Multilocular disc-pores, each 6.0–6.5 µm wide, mainly with 10 loculi, in transverse bands mainly 1 pore wide as follows: abdominal segments IX & VIII 0; VII with 4–6 on each side of vulva; VI 1 or 2 submarginally + 6–10 medially; V 1 submarginally + 6–9 medially; IV 1 or 2 submarginally + 5–8 medially; III 1 or 2 submarginally + 5–8 medially, and II 1 or 2 submarginally + 3–8 medially; metathorax with 1 or 2 submarginally. Tubular ducts similar to those on dorsum or slightly narrower, present throughout. Ventral setae showing nothing distinctive; preanal setae each 34–45 µm long in a small area of sclerotization, along with a short companion seta. Leg stubs absent. Antennae unsegmented, each 15–22 µm long, 17–21 µm wide, with 6–8 fleshy setae; each antenna with either no apical conical point or only a weak one and with no obvious setal cavity. Clypeolabral shield 105–115 µm long. Spiracular peritremes unusually small, each 11–12 µm wide.

Comment. Adult females of A. sparsiporus are superficially similar to those of A. capensis , also described as new above, and collected from the same site but on a different occasion and on a different host plant. However, A. sparsiporus differs in a number of significant characteristics, namely: (i) largest dorsal 8-shaped pores located marginally, mainly along anterior margin of head (those on A. capensis occur on each side of the stigmatic pore bands); (ii) 8-shaped pores sparse throughout dorsum (much denser); (iii) the very few spiracular disc-pores in each band—usually fewer than 30 (usually more than 50); (iv) the absence of multilocular disc-pores in abdominal segment VII (present); (v) the absence of leg stubs (present), and (vi) the narrow outer margins to each spiracular disc-pore (broad).

Adult females of A. sparsiporus share the line of mainly 5-locular pores between the antennae and spiracles with A. capensis and A. cliffortiae from South Africa, A. parahybensis from South America and A. corokiae from New Zealand. A. madagascariensis has a line of multilocular disc-pores between the spiracles. These species are all easily separable using the key.

The adult female of A. sparsiporus is characterised by the following combination of character-states: (i) dorsum with three sizes of 8-shaped pores; (ii) largest 8-shaped pores located marginally, mainly along anterior margin of head; (iii) largest 8-shaped pores absent from margins of posterior abdominal segments; (iv) intermediate-sized pores present around apices of stigmatic pore bands; (v) small 8-shaped pores very sparse throughout dorsum; (vi) cribriform pores present as single elongate-oval plates submedially on each side of segment IV; (vii) leg stubs absent; (viii) posterior stigmatic bands bifurcated; (ix) each stigmatic pore band short, barely reaching dorsum, with very few spiracular disc-pores in each band—usually less than 30; (x) multilocular disc-pores present across all abdominal segments and submarginally on metathorax, and (xi) antennae without a cone-like apex and setal cavity.

The adult female of A. sparsiporus falls within Group B in the key to species of Antecerococcus and keys out close to A. capensis and A. cliffortiae . All three species are from South Africa.

Name derivation: The name sparsiporus is derived from the Latin word sparsus meaning sparse or few, combined with the Latin word porus meaning pore, referring to the low numbers of 8-shaped pores, and is a noun in apposition.

Figures

FIGURE 44. Antecerococcus sparsiporus Hodgson & Williams, sp. nov. Adult female.