Coccus heckrothi Gullan & Kondo, 2018

Gullan, Penny J., Kondo, Takumasa, Fiala, Brigitte & Quek, Swee-Peck, 2018, Taxonomy of coccids (Hemiptera: Coccidae: Coccus L.) associated with Crematogaster ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the stems of Macaranga plants (Euphorbiaceae) in Southeast Asia, Zootaxa 4521 (1), pp. 1-51 : 18-20

Coccus heckrothi Gullan & Kondo sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:86F500BF-88D0-44F0-AE47-F4E76687E9AB

( Fig. 5 )

“ Coccus sp. Y”, Quek et al. 2017: 823.

Type material examined. Holotype: adult female, BORNEO: Sarawak, 2 km from Lambir Hills National Park in direction of Miri, in hollow stem of Macaranga hosei, Dec. 1992 , coll. H.-P. Heckroth, #85, 1(1) ( FRIM). Paratypes: BORNEO: same data as holotype, 12(12) and 2(2 third-instar females) ( ANIC except 4 adult females to FRIM); Sarawak, 2 km Lambir NP, ex M. hosei, Dec. 1992 , coll. H.-P. Heckroth, #47, 1(1 on slide with 1 adult female of C. pseudotumuliferus ) ( FRIM); Sarawak, 3 km Lambir, in hollow stem of Macaranga trachyphylla with C. secretus, Dec. 1992 , coll. H.-P. Heckroth, #92, 3(3) ( ANIC); Sarawak, 3 km Lambir, in hollow stem of Macaranga hosei, Feb. 1993 , coll. H.-P. Heckroth, #50, 1(4) ( FRIM); Sarawak, Lambir, ex M. rufescens & M. hosei , 3 Sept. 2001, coll. K. Murase, KM.s11 & KM.s22, DNA vouchers 2(2) ( FDS); Sarawak: Lambir, ex M. rufescens (TI.s42 only) & M. hosei , 2–4 Aug. 2003, coll. T. Itioka, TI.s42, TI.s49, TIs.50, TI.s51 & TI.s52a, DNA vouchers 5(5) ( FDS).

Other material examined. BORNEO: Sabah, Crocker Range, Keningau, 1100 m, ex M. puberula , 17 Oct. 1999, coll. S.-P. Quek, SPQ.113, DNA voucher 1(1); Sabah, Crocker Range, ex M. pearsonii , 13 Apr. 2001, coll. B. Fiala, #8 (TK0016), DNA voucher 1(1); North Kalimantan, Long Ampung, Sungai Anai trail, 700 m, 1° 42.964' N, 114° 56.943' E, ex M. aëtheadenia & M. bancana / M. indistincta , 9 Feb. 2005, coll. S.-P. Quek, SPQ.701, SPQ.704 & SPQ.705, DNA vouchers 3(3).

Note. Specimens of this new species form Clade 7, which is referred to as “ Coccus sp. Y” in Quek et al. (2017, fig. 3). This clade has two very closely related subgroups, which are considered to be geographically separated populations—one from Sarawak and Sabah, and the other from North Kalimantan. This species appears to be common in and near Lambir Hills National Park in Sarawak.

Etymology. During his Ph.D. studies, Hans-Peter Heckroth recognised this species as Coccus morphospecies 85, but did not specifically refer to it in his publications on the Macaranga coccids ( Heckroth et al. 1998, 2001). Here we name the species after him in recognition of his pioneering research on the Macaranga coccids.

Adult female. Unmounted material. Not seen.

Slide-mounted adult female (n = 10, all from Lambir and including holotype; Fig. 5 ). Body elongate oval, 1.9–3.5 (holotype 1.9) mm long, 1.4–2.9 (holotype 1.4) mm wide.

Dorsum. Derm (dd) with circular to oval areolations, mostly each 10–40 µm in greatest dimension, and with lightly sclerotised submarginal lines radiating inwards at right angles to margin, often obvious only on more mature females. Dorsal setae (dset) slender, each 6–23 (mostly 10–15) µm long, sparsely scattered on dorsum. Simple pores (sp) each 2.5–3.2 µm wide, scattered evenly on dorsum. Preopercular pores (pop) each 4–7 (mostly 5) µm wide, present in an elongate cluster of 8–16 pores anterior to anal plates. Dorsal microducts (dmic) in areolations each 1.8–2.2 µm wide, appearing bilocular under high magnification. Anal plates (anplt) each triangular and typically with slightly convex margins, anterolateral margin always slightly longer than posterolateral margin, length of each plate 1.5–1.9 times width, inner lobes swollen, with a tessellated texture, each plate 165–183 µm long, 85–118 µm wide, anterolateral margin 125–158 µm long, posterolateral margin 105–133 µm long; each plate with 12–23 dorsal setae, each 18–25 µm long. Anal ring (ar) with 10 setae, each 90–120 µm long.

Margin. Eyespots, if visible, each 20–35 µm in maximum dimension, on margin but difficult to discern. Marginal setae (mset) in 1 row, most setae sharply spinose, rarely with apices fimbriate or bifurcate, each 12–45 (mostly 20–40) µm long, setae near anal cleft with tendency to be shorter and more fimbriate at apices than setae of rest of margin; with 10–21 setae between anterior and posterior stigmatic areas on side of body. Stigmatic setae (stgset) well developed, sharply spinose, typically numbering 3 per cleft, median setae longest, each 22–43 µm long, lateral setae each 12–28 (mostly>15) µm long.

Venter. Derm membranous. Ventral setae (vset) slender, with posterior-most prevulvar pair longest (each seta up to 55 µm long), elsewhere shorter, each 7–20 µm long. Interantennal setae numbering 3 pairs, each seta ≤ 20 µm long. Ventral tubular ducts (vtd) present in a broad submarginal band; each duct with outer ductule 15–20 µm long, inner ductule usually 15–18 µm long, and duct opening about 2 µm wide. Ventral microducts (vmic) each about 2 µm wide, scattered fairly evenly on venter. Pregenital disc-pores (pgp) each with 8–10 loculi, each pore 6–7 µm wide. Antennae (ant) 7 (rarely 6 or 8) segmented, each 225–270 µm long, fleshy setae present on last 3 segments. Clypeolabral shield 258–280 µm long, 205–255 µm wide; labium 110–120 µm long, 130–150 µm wide. Legs with hind trochanter + femur 150–185 µm long; hind tibia + tarsus 150–190 µm long; all tarsal digitules each 30–40 µm long; claw digitules each 20–30 µm long, claws each 24–32 µm long. Spiracles normal: anterior peritremes each 60–80 µm wide; posterior peritremes each 70–88 µm wide. Spiracular pores (spp) each 4–5 µm wide, typically with 5 loculi.

Comments. Adult females of C. heckrothi can be distinguished from all the other species of Coccus known from Macaranga by having the combination of (i) anal plates each with 12–23 dorsal setae, each seta 18–25 µm long; (ii) short, slender dorsal setae, each mostly 10–15 µm long and tapering to apex; and (iii) marginal setae in a single row and with each seta sharply spinose, mostly 20–40 µm long and rarely with apex fimbriate or bifurcate. The adult females of C. heckrothi are most similar to those of C. penangensis in the number of dorsal setae on each anal plate (11–23 in C. penangensis ) and in having short and slender dorsal body setae (mostly <20 µm long in C. penangensis ), but differ in that the marginal setae of C. heckrothi mostly have sharply pointed apices (mostly bifurcate or fimbriate in C. penangensis ) and the lateral stigmatic setae are mostly> 15 µm (usually <15 µm long in C. penangensis ).

Coccus heckrothi has been collected only on the northern half of Borneo in North Kalimantan, Sabah and Sarawak, at a range of altitudes. The three adult females from North Kalimantan and the two from Crocker Range in Sabah differ from the females collected in the area of Lambir Hills in having shorter (10–17 µm) setae on the anal plates and, for two Kalimantan specimens, more numerous (20–40) preopercular pores. Coccus heckrothi has been found inside the hollow stems of seven Macaranga species belonging to both sections Pachystemon (three species) and Pruinosae (four species). Specimens of a species very similar to C. heckrothi were collected from Crypteronia ?macrophylla (Crypteroniacae) in association with Cladomyrma ants in the Lambir Hills area (Achim Moog, #95/83, 23 Feb. 1995). The adult females of the coccids from Crypteronia differ from those of C. heckrothi in having longer (~ 25 µm) and more slender setae on the anal plates, shorter (~ 20 µm long) marginal setae, and smaller (~ 3 µm diameter) and more numerous (>20) preopercular pores. Mealybugs ( Pseudococcidae ) and coccids have been reported associated with Cladomyrma ants in the hollowed-out stems of Crypteronia griffithii in Peninsular Malaysia (Maschwitz et al. 1991) but the identity of those coccids is unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Adult female of Coccus heckrothi Gullan & Kondo sp. n. Abbreviations as in Fig. 3.