Calycicoccus Brain, 1918

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 : 77-80

Calycicoccus Brain, 1918

Calycicoccus Brain 1918 , 111. Type species: Calycicoccus merwei Brain by monotypy and original designation.

Calycococcus Lindinger 1937, 181. Unjustified emendation ( Hoy 1963, 49).

Introduction. The molecular study of Cook and Gullan (2004), which included C. merwei Brain , found it sister to

the Gondwanan clade. In Hodgson and Hardy’s (2013) morphological study based on adult males, C. merwei fell within the Gondwanan clade and so is discussed here.

Calycicoccus merwei ( Fig. 27 ) is the only indigenous eriococcid in Africa. Females induce small, mostly conical galls on their host tree, Apodytes dimidiata (Icacinaceae) . Its biology and most stages of this insect, including the adult male were described by Gullan et al. (2006). C. merwei has been placed in its own, monospecific subfamily, Calycicoccinae Brain, by some workers (e.g., Brain 1918; Koteja 1974b; Tang & Hao 1995) and the analysis of Cook and Gullan (2004) supported this.

Generic diagnosis based on adult male morphology of C. merwei ( Fig. 27 ) Body: not attenuated, abdomen narrowing gradually; stout fs present on abdomen in addition to antennae and legs. Head: simple pores absent; ocular sclerite with very few reticulations; dorsal mid-cranial ridge absent; genae with hs and fs; antennae 8 segmented; flagellar segments with both hs and fs, latter rather plump; capitate setae present on apical antennal segment only, each with 7–10 capitate setae. Thorax: prosternal median ridge absent; prescutum without prescutal setae; postemesospiracular setae abundant; metasternum with few setae; tibia and tarsi with a few stout fs; tarsi 1 segmented; claw digitules capitate; claws without a denticle. Abdomen: fs present on both tergites and sternites; glandular pouches present on segment VIII; penial sheath with longest setae on style; penial sheath becoming sharply pointed posteriorly and about twice as long as basal width.

Comment. As pointed out in Gullan et al. (2006), adult male C. merwei share several character-states with adult male Pseudotectococcus , namely (i) eight-segmented antennae; (ii) short, stout fleshy setae on the antennae and legs; (iii) fleshy setae on the abdomen; (iv) absence of a dorsal mid-cranial ridge, and (v) a pair of sclerotised longitudinal ridges on abdominal segment VIII. However, Pseudotectococcus has 2-segmented tarsi. For other differences, see key above.

Figures

FIGURE 27. Calycicoccus merwei Brain. Macropterous male. (Eriococcidae, Gondwanan group). For abbreviations, see p. 8.