Ceroplastes lamborni Newstead

Hodgson, Chris J. & Peronti, Ana L. B. G., 2012, 3372, Zootaxa 3372, pp. 1-265 : 176-180

Ceroplastes lamborni Newstead

( Figs 79, 80; Map fig. 105)

Ceroplastes lamborni Newstead, 1917: 29 .

Gascardia constricta De Lotto, 1969a: 417 . Syn. nov.

Gascardia constricta De Lotto ; Almeida, 1973: 4; Ben-Dov, 1993: 29.

Ceroplastes constricta (De Lotto) ; Ben-Dov, 1993: 29.

Material examined. Ceroplastes lamborni : Lectotype ♀ (here designated): Nigeria: left label: Imp. Bur. Ent. / Cocoa, Ibadan / S. Nigeria, W.A.R. / Newstead No. 36/205 / BMNH 1945,121; right label: Ceroplastes / lamborni / Newst. / Cotype ♀ young ad. / R.N. ( BMNH, 1916-190): 1/1 (good, remounted by CJH).

Paralectotype ♀♀: Nigeria: left label: Ibadan / S. Nigeria / on Cacao / 1916/190 / Newstead No. 39/205; right label? ( BMNH, 1945:121): 7/mainly bits + 1 2 nd instar. Also a single slide with same data as lectotype in USNM (fair), plus 2 slides with 3 specimens with following data, also considered to be part of type series: left label: Imp. Bur. Ent. / on large climber / on bush three / W.U. Lamborn / Newstead No. 34/205 / BM 1945, 121; right label: Ceroplastes / lamborni / Newst. / Type lot / Cotype ♀ (fair).

Gascardia contricta De Lotto : Paratypes: Angola, Novo Redondo , from Elaeis guineensis, 11.iii.1964, H. Cardoso ( SANC): 4/4 (very young; good). Also non-type : Angola, Novo Redondo , from Elaeis guineensis, 10.iii.1964, H. Cardoso ( SANC): 1/1 (good) .

Also: Cameroon, no site, base of young leaves of Elaeis guineensis, -. x.1989, D. Mariau ( MNHN #12311): 1/3 (poor). Côte d’Ivoire [Ivory Coast], Abengourou, on Theobroma cacao , no date, H. Alibert ( BMNH): 3/8 (mainly fair). Ghana [Gold Coast], Bunsu, on cacao ( Theobroma cacao ), 29.vi.1953, R.G. Donald ( BMNH): 4/10 (fair-good); no site, on Cedrela sp. , 8.iii.1966, no coll. ( BMNH): 1/3 (poor); Tafo, on Theobroma cacao , 25.iv.1947, E.O. Boafo ( BMNH): 1/2 (in bits). Nigeria, Ile-Ife [spelt Ife-Ife], on Ficus exasperata , 6.i.1971, J.T. Medlar ( BMNH): 2/2 (poor); Benin City, on oil palm, 21.iii.1974, no coll. ( BMNH, N. sc.2): 5/7 (fair-poor). Senegal, Medina, on Loranthaceae , 10.ii.1983, Etienne ( MNHN #9255): 1/2 (fair). Sierra Leone, 30.i.1935, on Trema guineense, E. Hargreaves (BMNH) : 2/2 (fair-poor; misidentified as C. coniformis ). Democratic Republic of the Congo: Eala, from Elaeis sp., 18.vii.1938; J. Ghesquière #7246 ( MNHN): 1/3; Eala, on Ficus sp. , 19.vii.1938; J. Ghesquière: 2/2 #7123 ( MNHN): 1/3 (fair); Tumba, on Annona reticulata, H. Schouteden ( MNHN #5883): 1/1 (fair, in same collection as many C. theobromae ).

Note. Data in (..) refer to young C. constricta .

Unmounted material. C. lamborni . "Test of old adult female. Conical, more or less vertical in front and sloping upwards and forwards from the caudal process; sides with faint traces of three stigmatic plates. The four white stigmatic processes extending beyond the margin. Colour, in old dried examples, dusky red-brown and somewhat oily in appearance. Texture hard and almost as brittle as resin. Length 3.5 mm; height 3.5 mm " ( Newstead, 1917: 29).

Unmounted material. C. constricta . “The covering waxy test of all specimens examined was badly damaged in transit; in texture the wax was brittle and pure white in colour” ( De Lotto, 1969a: 417).

Mounted material. Body probably rather roundly oval and convex, with distinct, quite deep, stigmatic clefts; presence of lateral tubercles unclear. Caudal process short and stout, probably directed rather upwards. Length about 2 to perhaps 3.5 (1.25–2.0) mm, width across venter about 1.25–2.25 (0.9–1.4) mm.

Dorsum. Apart from heavily sclerotised caudal process, derm membranous becoming slightly sclerotised on older specimens. Caudal process about 0.57–1.03 (0.3–0.4) mm long; width across base of flattened process 0.7–1.25 (0.3–0.5) mm. With 8 clear areas, but medio-dorsal area very narrow (indistinct); with dorsal setae present sparsely throughout all clear areas. Dorsal setae each with parallel to slightly convergent sides and a truncate apex, length of each seta subequal to or slightly longer than width of basal socket, length 3.0–4.5 (3–5) µm; basal socket width 4.0–4.5 (4–5) µm; present sparsely throughout but possibly most abundant near margins (numerous, as abundant or more abundant than loculate microducts). Dorsal pores: (i) loculate microducts of ruscitype abundant, each about 7–8 µm widest; those with 2 satellite loculi scarce; wax-plate lines not detected; and (ii) simple microducts (width about 1 µm), very sparse throughout and present in clear areas. Preopercular pores present in a long arc of about 24–35 (23–38) pores in 2 or 3 rows. Anal plates together approximately circular, with anterior margin subequal in length to posterior margin; length of plates 165–185 (135–159) µm, width of both plates combined 190–210 (155–180) µm, each with 5 (5–7) long dorsal setae, each 75–85 (32–94) µm long, plus a short apical seta 23–25 µm. Anal tube very short, anal ring close to anterior margin of anal plates; anal ring setae each about 145 µm long.

Margin. Marginal setae setose, each about 10–14 (10–12) µm long; with perhaps 5–8 between eyespots, and, on each side, 2 between eyespots and anterior stigmatic setae, 2 between stigmatic clefts and maybe about 5–6 on each side of abdomen; anal lobes each with 3 larger setae, each 75 (22–69) µm. Stigmatic clefts quite deep, each with a group of roundly conical stigmatic setae extending in a broad group onto dorsum, each a little wider than long; exact number in each group uncertain but between 110–150 (70–90); each group with 1 distinctly larger seta towards dorsal margin of each group; most setae 8–10 µm long and 8–10 µm wide at base; largest seta about 16 µm long and 15 µm wide, with some intermediate-sized setae dotted within each group. Eyespots each about 35 (34–38) µm wide.

Venter. Derm entirely membranous. Pregenital disc-pores abundant around genital opening (segment VII) and across preceding segment; also segment V with 3 or 4 pores medially and 3 or 4 mediolaterally; absent more anteriorly. Spiracular disc-pores present in fairly broad bands of about 130 pores but with none extending medially. Ventral microducts showing nothing distinctive. Ventral tubular ducts absent in cephalic region; present posteriorly associated with anogenital fold, with (on each side) 0–2 on segment V, and 5 or 6 on segments VI and VII (absent or rare). Submarginal setae each about 8–10 µm long, with perhaps 10 or 11 between eyespots, and, on each side, 3–6 between eyespots and anterior stigmatic clefts, 3 between stigmatic clefts and maybe 18 on each side of abdomen.

Antennae each with 6 segments, segment III not apparently with pseudo-articulations; total length 240–260 (200–260) µm. Clypeolabral shield about 185 (213–245) µm long. Spiracles: width of peritremes 75–83 (58–75) µm. Legs well developed, each without a tibio-tarsal articulation; each claw without a denticle; claw digitules dissimilar, 1 much broader than other and subequal in length to tarsal digitules; dimensions of metathoracic legs (µm): coxa 100–125 (81–99); trochanter + femur 130–145 (108–145), tibia 90–95 (70–83); tarsus 65–70 (60–70); and claw 21–23 (19–23).

Discussion. Two major characters defining this species are the presence of 5 or more dorsal setae on each anal plate and claw denticles of distinctly different sizes. Other characters as in the key above. C. lamborni is rather similar to C. theobromae but has about half as many stigmatic setae and the latter species only has 3 or 4 dorsal setae on each anal plate. However, as can be seen in Material studied above, one collection from Democratic Republic of the the Congo had both species present. It is just possible therefore that these 2 species are synonyms.

C. lamborni is now known from Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone, mainly on Theobroma cacao (Sterculiaceae) but also on Elaeis guineensis (Palmae), Cedrela sp. (Meliaceae) , Trema guineense (Ulmaceae) and Ficus exasperata (Moraceae) .