Coccidella advena Schneider & LaPolla, 2024

Schneider, Scott A. & Lapolla, John S., 2024, New species of Coccidella Hambleton and Rhizoecus Kunckel d’Herculais from South America (Hemiptera: Rhizoecidae), Zootaxa 5555 (1), pp. 125-133 : 126-128

Coccidella advena Schneider & LaPolla , sp. nov.

Fig. 1

Material examined. Holotype. PERU: 1 adult ♀, Madre de Dios, Las Cruces, Manu Paradise Lodge , from Acropyga manuense nest behind lodge, in soil around small rotting branches, -13.0548, -71.5440, 31.v.2019, J.S. LaPolla and S.A. Schneider leg., UNMSM (nest ID PER01-02 ; prep S0401B).

Paratypes. PERU, all with same data as holotype: 1 adult ♀, USNM (nest ID PER01-02 ; prep S0401D) ; 1 adult ♀, USNM (nest ID PER01-02 ) ; 1 adult ♀ in poor condition, USNM (nest ID PER01-02 ) .

Description. Adult female (N=4).

Appearance in life. Body white to cream-colored, dusted in powdery white wax.

Description of slide-mounted adult female. Body elongate oval and membranous, 0.92–1.28 mm long, 0.46– 0.75 mm wide at widest point near abdominal segment I. Eyes present on head margin. Antennae geniculate, each 5 segmented, situated ventrally on submargin of head; overall length 200–202 µm; segment lengths (in µm): segment I, 57; II, 17–21; III, 30–33; IV, 21–26; and V, 70. Antennal setae mostly flagellate, each 15–42 µm long; longest setae situated on apical segment (V), together with 4 falcate sensory setae. Cephalic plate present and sclerotized. Labium 3 segmented, 107 µm long, 50 µm wide. Anterior and posterior pairs of spiracles each about 16 µm in diameter. Legs well developed, measurements in µm: hind leg 433–446, coxa 59–67, trochanter + femur 171–177, tibia + tarsus 170–171, claw 32; ratio of trochanter + femur / tibia + tarsus 1.0–1.04. Leg setae mostly flagellate, each 15–38 µm long, tarsal digitules spine-like, claw digitules simple and shorter than claw (about 6 µm long). Both pairs of ostioles present and heavily sclerotized, each about 50 µm in diameter across orifice; lips of ostioles bearing multiple setae and trilocular pores. Anal lobes indicated by slight projections at posterior end on either side of anal opening, each lobe bearing 3 distinctly enlarged setae, each about 50 µm long when intact but several broken or missing in type series. Anal ring about 48 µm in diameter, with 2 rows of cells, those in outer ring each containing a spicule; ring bearing 6 setae, each 51–64 µm long. Internal genital organ sclerotized.

Venter. Body setae flagellate, 12–28 µm long on head, 8–16 µm on thoracic segments, 10–19 µm on abdominal segments. Multilocular disc-pores present near vulva, 21 pores situated primarily on segments VII and VIII, in one specimen 2 are present on VI; most pores each apparently with 9 loculi. Tritubular cerores each 8–9 µm in diameter, situated on submargins of abdominal segments VI and VII and with 1 submedial pair on segment VI. Trilocular pores numerous, distributed among body setae, each about 3.5 µm wide. Enlarged trilocular pores, each about 5 µm wide, in medial clusters, with 19–23 pores on abdominal segment IV, 28–30 pores on V, and 13–19 pores on VI. Oral collar tubular ducts absent. Circulus absent.

Dorsum. Body setae flagellate, 9–14 µm long on head, 10–14 µm on thoracic segments, 10–19 on abdominal segments. Multilocular disc-pores absent. Tritubular cerores slightly larger than on venter, each 12–13 µm in diameter, situated on submargins of head, prothorax, mesothorax, metathorax, and abdominal segments III, V, VII; also medial cerores present on prothorax, metathorax, and abdominal segments III, V. Trilocular pores numerous, distributed among body setae, each about 3.5 µm wide. Oral collar tubular ducts absent.

Etymology. The epithet advena is a Latin noun meaning “visitor” or “stranger”. It signifies that the type collection was collected with an ant colony but was unaffiliated with the ants.

Comments. The new species is placed in the genus Coccidella because it possesses characteristic clusters of specialized trilocular pores on the ventral surface of the abdominal segments ( Kozár & Konczné Benedicty 2007). Coccidella advena is similar in appearance to C. boliviana Konczné Benedicty & Kozár but differs from it by having (character states of C. boliviana are given in parentheses): no multilocular disc-pores on the thorax (present); enlarged trilocular pores absent on the head (present); and with a ventral submedial pair of tritubular cerores on VI (absent). In a prior publication, C. advena was referred to as Coccidella near boliviana (Schneider et al. 2022) . The host plant identity is unknown for this species. The type series was collected with a nest of A. manuense but was ignored by the worker ants during a period of observation so the species is presumed to have been living freely in the vicinity of the ant colony.

In the key to adult females of Coccidella by Kaydan et al. (2018), C. advena departs from the key at couplet 5 because it has the combination of eyes present and ostiole lips sclerotized. Their key can be modified at this point to accommodate C. advena by using the following:

5 Eyes absent........................................................ C. kissbalazsi Konczné Benedicty & Kozár

- Eyes present......................................................................................... 6

6 Ostiole lips sclerotized.................................................. C. advena Schneider & LaPolla sp. nov.

- Ostiole lips membranous.............................................................................. 6a

6a Antennae 6 segmented; dorsal setae hair-like........................................... C. globocula (Hambleton)

- Antennae 5 segmented; dorsal setae spine-like........................................... C. kozari Kaydan & Szita

Figures

FIGURE 1. Coccidella advena sp. nov. Adult female, full body view, illustrated from the holotype and paratypes. Illustration by SAS.