Apiomorpha spinifer Froggatt, 1930

Hodgson, Chris, 2020, A review of neococcid scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccomorpha) based on the morphology of the adult males, Zootaxa 4765 (1), pp. 1-264 : 64-65

Apiomorpha spinifer Froggatt ( Fig. 23 )

Apiomorpha spinifer Froggatt 1930, 470 . Type data: Australia, Queensland, Stanthorpe, on Eucalyptus sp. Syntypes, female. Type depository: ANIC.

Apiomorpha pharetrata Froggatt ; Theron 1968, 87. Misidentification ( Gullan 1984, 76).

Material examined. Australia, Main Range National Park, Spicers Gap, on Eucalyptus sp. ( Myrtaceae ), 9.ix.2012, Alicia Toon (P.J. Mills 00455) ( ANIC): 5/5 ad ♂♂ (fair to good). Also: Australia, NSW, Fisherman’s Reach Road, Via Stuarts Point, 28.xii.1991, L.G. Cook ( ANIC): 2/2 ad ♂♂ (fair to good).

Mounted material: of moderate size, total length 2.75–3.0 μm, width across mesothorax 525–550 μm, with a slightly attenuated abdomen; antennae long, about half total body length; body with very few setae, fleshy setae (fs) absent from body but long and stout on antennae and with a few on each tibia and tarsus. Pores absent apart from in glandular pouches. Wings normal, without alar setae or pores. Hamulohalteres absent.

Head: width across genae 330–345 μm; head length 255–260 μm. Median crest represented by a shallow median ridge of light sclerotisation with no striations. Postoccipital ridge (por) well developed, with both anterior and posterior arms extending laterally; with 7 or 8 pairs of hs dorsal head setae (dhs); without pores. Mid-cranial ridge: dorsal ridge (dmcr) well developed, extending posteriorly to level with dorsal simple eyes; ventral ridge (vmcr) represented by a pair of distinct lateral arms (lmcr) and a ridge extending posteriorly to ocular sclerite; with, on either side, 2 or 3 pairs of hs ventral mid-cranial ridge setae (vmcrs) anterior to ocular sclerite. Genae (g) not reticulated but with 1 or 2 hs genal setae (gs) on each side laterad to postoccipital ridge. Eyes: with two pairs of round, rather protruding simple eyes; dorsal eyes (dse) marginally smaller than ventral eyes (vse), dse 65–70 μm and vse 75–80 μm wide; ventral eyes quite far forward, approximately level with dorsal eyes. Ocelli (o) apparently absent. Ocular sclerite (ocs) with slight indications of reticulations around both eyes but absent elsewhere. Preocular ridge (procr) extending almost to mid-cranial ridge dorsally. Postocular ridge (pocr) strongly developed ventrally and extending dorsally to level with dorsal simple eyes. Dorsal ocular setae absent. Ventral head setae (vhs): a total of 8–15 hs in a transverse line anterior to ventral eyes only. Preoral ridge (pror) possibly absent. Cranial apophysis (ca) with a rather truncate apex, barely bi- or trifurcate, length 45 μm.

Antennae: 10-segmented and filiform; length 1.43–1.58 mm long (ratio of total body length to antennal length 1:0.52). Scape (scp): 70 μm long, 65 μm wide, with 1 hs ventrally and 2 mediolaterally. Pedicel (pdc): length 85–100 μm, width 70–75 μm; without concentric ridges; with 9–11 fs + 4 or 5 hs + 1 campaniform pore; fs similar to those on flagellar segments, but shorter (about 35 μm long). Segments III–IX all more or less parallel-sided, each 28–40 μm wide; fs unusually strong, 40–50 μm long; hs rather variable in size and thickness, each 18–63 μm long; lengths of seg- ments (μm): III 185–195; IV 175–185; V 170–175: VI 210–245, VII 170–200, VIII 140–170, IX 128–160; approximate number of setae per segment: III 11–13 fs + 0 hs; IV & V 9–14 fs + 3–7 hs; VI 11–20 fs + 13–17 hs; VII 13 or 14 fs + 8 hs; VIII 10–12 fs, 7–15 hs +1 antennal bristle (ab); IX 7–9 fs, 6–11 hs + 1 ab. Segment X 100–105 μm long, with 3–5 fs, 6 or 7 hs + 2 or 3 large and 1 shorter ab; capitate setae entirely absent.

Thorax. Prothorax: pronotal ridge (prnr) well developed and probably fusing medially on dorsum; lateral pronotal sclerites (prn) distinct; without lateral pronotal setae. Medial pronotal and post-tergital setae apparently absent. Posttergites probably present. Sternum (stn 1) not sclerotised and with only very faint radial striations; median ridge absent; transverse ridge moderately developed, without apophyses; with 0 or 1 hs prosternal setae (stn 1 s). Proepisternum + cervical sclerite (pepcv) showing nothing distinctive. Anteprosternal setae and antemesospiracular setae absent.

Mesothorax: prescutum (prsc) elongate, significantly longer than broad, 215–270 μm long, 195–205 μm wide; sclerotised, with very slight indications of nodulations on some specimens; prescutal ridges (pscr) well developed; prescutal suture (pscs) poorly developed or represented by slight striations; without prescutal setae. Prealare (pra) and triangular plate (tp) well developed. Scutum (sct): median area sclerotised, 85–120 μm long, without scutal setae; an- terolateral margins slightly striated; prealar ridge (prar) weak. Scutellum (scl) rather rounded anteriorly and therefore width unclear, 250–270 μm wide, 105–120 μm long; with a strong inverted U-shaped scutellar ridge (sclr); not tubular but with a large foramen; scutellar setae (scls): 0 or 1 pair hs on anterior margin; posterior notal wing process (pnp) quite long, diagonal and heavily sclerotised. Basisternum (stn 2) 435–450 μm wide, 275–320 μm long; median ridge absent; bounded anteriorly by a strong marginal ridge (mr) and posteriorly by strong precoxal ridges (pcr 2); without basisternal setae; lateropleurite (lpl) rather narrow, usually with a short extension along anterior border from marginal ridge; furca (f) well developed, of characteristic shape, narrow-waisted with a broad base, arms divergent and extending almost to anterior marginal ridge. Mesopostnotum (pn 2) well developed; postnotal apophysis (pna) well developed. Area bounded anteriorly by scutellum and laterally and posteriorly by mesopostnotum membranous. Mesepisternum (eps 2) not reticulated; subepisternal ridge (ser) strongly sclerotised. Postalare (pa) well developed; without postalare setae and not reticulated anteriorly. Mesothoracic spiracle (sp 2): width of peritreme 35–40 μm. Postmesospiracular setae (pm 2 s) absent. Tegula (teg) present; with 3 or 4 pairs of tegular setae (tegs).

Metathorax: metapostnotum quite broad; with 1 or 2 pairs of hs metatergal setae (mts) medially and 2 or 3 pairs hs laterally. Dorsal part of metapleural ridge present, extending dorsally but without a suspensorial sclerite; ventral part of metapleural ridge (plr 3) short; precoxal ridge and mesepisternum absent, without postmetaspiracular setae. Metepimeron (epm 3) sclerotised but without setae. Antemetaspiracular setae absent. Metathoracic spiracle (sp 3): width of peritreme about 45 μm. Metasternum (stn 3) membranous, metasternal apophyses (stn 3 a) not detected; with 1 or 2 anterior (amss) and 1 pair of posterior metasternal setae (pmss).

Wings: hyaline, 2.15–2.32 mm long, 0.6–0.85 mm wide (ratio of length to width 1:0.32; ratio of total body length to wing length 1:0.77); alar lobe present but small; alar setae and alar sensoria absent. Hamulohalteres absent.

Legs: mesothoracic legs shortest. Coxae (cx): I 185–195; II 165–190; III 165–185 μm long; with 12–15 hs on each coxa III; long apical seta bristle-like, each 75–80 μm long. Trochanter (tr) + femur (fm): I 375–400; II 365–400; III 400–430 μm long; trochanter III with 6 or 7 hs; campaniform pores oval, in a triangle; long trochanter seta 70–72 μm, femur III with 12–22 hs. Tibia (ti): I 355–375; II 330–355; III 365–385 μm, tibia III with about 30 hs + 1–7 short fs, each 10–13 μm long; with 2 apical spurs (tibs), length 25–30 μm. Tarsi (ta): I 133–145; II 145–155; III 145–160 μm long (ratio of length of tibia III to that of tarsus III 1:0.40); tarsi 2 segmented; tarsus III with 10 hs + 8 or 9 fs; tarsal spurs not spur-like, each 30–33 μm long; tarsal campaniform pore (cp) present; tarsal digitules (tdt) slightly shorter than length of claw, with rather small apical knobs. Claws (c) quite long and narrow, subequal to width of tarsi, almost straight, generally with a small denticle; length: III: 38–40 μm; claw digitules (cdt) distinctly longer than claw, with minute apical knobs.

Abdomen: quite long; tergites (at) present on all segments; sternites (as) probably absent; pleurites all membranous. Caudal extensions (ce) of segment VII absent. Setae all hs: each segment (I–VII) with 3–6 hs dorsal abdominal setae (ads) and generally 3 hs dorsal pleural setae (dpls): and segments II–VII generally with 4 hs ventral abdominal setae (avs), and 1 or 2 hs ventral pleural setae (vpls).

Segment VIII: tergite (at) unsclerotised but sternite sclerotised. Setae: all hs, with 4 long pleural setae, longest 80–100 μm long; caudal extension (ce) mainly rounded. Glandular pouches (gp) cone-shaped, each with 2 glandular pouch setae (gps), each 100–150 μm long with a blunt apex.

Genital segments: penial sheath (ps) divided into a bulbous segment IX and a longer, sharply pointed posterior style; length of segment IX 100–110 μm, width 125–155 μm; anal opening near posterior margin of segment IX, 42 μm wide; segment IX with 10–12 hs setae on each side and ventrally. Length of style 250–270 μm, width at base 60–85 μm; with a pair of long hs about 1/3rd along length, each 55 μm long; other setae absent; apex with a few small sensilla. Aedeagus (aed) quite long, broad anteriorly (33 μm wide), tapering to a narrow apex; length 205–250 μm. Basal rod (bra) very short, about 35 μm long

Comment. The male of A. spinifer has been previously described by Theron (1968) (as A.?pharetreta (Schrader)). The present description differs from his in the following details (Theron’s data in brackets): (i) apparent absence of ocelli (distinctly visible as pigmented spots in untreated specimens but sometimes enveloped by the postocular ridges); (ii) no small tubercular structure detected at anterior end of prosternite (present); and (iii) tarsi clearly two segmented (one segmented). The adult male of A. spinifer is almost identical to that of A. pharetrata , only apparently differing in a few small particulars, the significance of which is unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 23. Apiomorpha spinifer Froggatt). Macropterous male. (Eriococcidae, Acanthococcid group). Where A=cranial apophysis, D=fleshy seta, E=hair-like seta, N=side view of simple eye, R=dermal reticulation on ocular sclerite.