Conchaspis vayssierei Mamet, 1954

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 : 139-141

Conchaspis vayssierei Mamet ( Fig. 56 )

Conchaspis vayssierei Mamet 1954 , 236. Type data: Madagascar, holotype on Areca sp.; paratypes collected from an unidentified palm. Holotype, female. Type depository: MNHN.

Material examined. Madagascar, Ambaja, on Oreodoxa (Prestoea) regia (Arecaceae) , no date, E.S. Brown ( BMNH, CIE 2089/12923): 1/3ad ♂♂ (all unstained otherwise fairly good but missing some antennae and all wings crumpled or lost).

Mounted material: quite small, total body length about 1.04 mm; antennae seven segmented, about half body length, with very short, thick, fleshy setae; body setae few, possibly all hs. Wings too crumpled to study.

Head: slightly oval in dorsal view, wider than long, and attached to thorax by a rather broad neck; width across ocular sclerite 140–150 μm. Median crest (mc) present but hard to discern, certainly lightly reticulated anteriorly; postoccipital ridge (por) absent; with (on each side) 2 hs dorsal head setae (dhs). Mid-cranial ridge: both dorsal ridge (dmcr) and ventral ridges (vmcr) absent; transverse lateral arms to mid-cranial ridge possibly present; not apparently reticulated or striated; with one longish seta (vmcrs) on each side. Genae (g) without reticulations or genal setae. Simple eyes: two pairs; dorsal eyes (dse) subequal in width to ventral eyes (vse), each 36–42 μm wide; vse placed anterior to dse near scape. Ocelli (o) absent. Ocular sclerite (ocs) with rather small polygonal reticulations. Preocular ridge (procr) rather short, extending dorsally from outer margin of each antenna to anterior margin of dorsal simple eyes, where it broadens. Postocular ridge (pocr) strongly developed, extending laterally from near mouth to just onto dorsal surface, not nearly extending past dorsal eye. Dorsal ocular setae (docs) absent but with 0 or 1 hs laterad to each dorsal simple eye. Ventral head setae (vhs): 2 longish hs on each side anterior to ventral eyes, otherwise absent. Preoral ridge (pror) and cranial apophysis (ca) possibly absent.

Antennae: 7-segmented, segments III–VI rather short and broad; terminal segment almost round; total length 340 μm (ratio of total body length to antennal length 1:0.32). Scape (scp): 18–23 μm long, 34–42 μm wide, possibly with 2 hs, 1 dorsal and 1 ventral. Pedicel (pdc): length 23–26 μm, width 25–30 μm; with numerous narrow concen- tric ridges; with 1 hs (no campaniform pores detected). Segments III–VI all 20–26 μm wide: fleshy setae each 7–12 μm long and 2–3 μm wide; surface of each segment faintly reticulated, each reticulation rather elongate; lengths of segments (μm): III 57–69; IV 57–69; V 62–65; VI 73–81; approximate number of setae per segment: III 12–17 fs + 0 hs; IV 15–17 fs + 0 hs; V 15–18 fs + 1 bristle; VI 19–23 fs + 1 bristle. Segment VII short, length 39–42 μm; with 4 capitate setae (caps), 5–7 fs + 4 bristles (bristles similar to fs but longer); sensilla basiconica (sb) not noted.

Thorax. Prothorax: pronotal ridge (prnr) well-developed but not fused dorsally; lateral pronotal sclerite (prn) possibly absent; without lateral pronotal (lpns) setae. Medial pronotal setae, post-tergites and post-tergital setae probably absent. Sternum (stn 1) not sclerotised but with a longish, heavily sclerotised median ridge; transverse ridge narrow and less well developed; without prosternal setae (stn 1 s). Anteprosternal (astn 1 s) and antemesospiracular setae (am 2 s) absent.

Mesothorax: prescutum (prsc) rectangular to almost oval, probably rather convex, 96–106 μm long, 103–136 μm wide on mounted specimens; with small nodulations throughout; prescutal ridges (pscr) and prescutal suture (pscs) narrow; without prescutal setae. Scutum (sct) without a median membranous area; median area sclerotised but not reticulated; with 2 minute setae laterally on each side; lateral margins not reticulated, without setae. Prealare ridge quite well developed. Scutellum (scl) 124–148 μm wide, 41–56 μm long; possibly tubular, but with a large foramen; without scutellar setae (scls). Basisternum (stn 2) 188–230 μm wide, 73–83 μm long (rather spectacleshaped); with a strong median ridge (mdr) and bounded anteriorly by a strong marginal ridge (mr) and posteriorly by strong precoxal ridges (pcr 2); without basisternal setae (stn 2 s); lateropleurite (lpl) quite broad anteriorly, without an extension from marginal ridge anteriorly; furca (f) well developed, unusual, without a waist, with short arms (each about 23 μm long), these parallel-sided but with tips diverging. Mesopostnotum (pn 2) well developed; postnotal apophysis (pna) apparently represented by an area of oval reticulations. Area bounded anteriorly by scutellum and laterally and posteriorly by mesopostnotum lightly sclerotised. Mesepisternum (eps 2) narrow, not reticulated; subepisternal ridge short; mesopleural apophysis (pla 2) long, extending internally. Postalare (pa) not reticulated anteriorly; without postalare setae (pas). Mesothoracic spiracle (sp 2) small: peritreme 18–21 μm wide, muscle plate broad and sclerotised. Postmesospiracular setae (pm 2 s) absent. Tegula (teg) not detected; tegular setae (tegs) absent.

Metathorax: metatergal setae (mts): absent. Dorsospiracular setae (dss) absent. Dorsal part of metapleural ridge (plr 3) present; suspensorial sclerite (ss) probably absent. Ventral part of metapleural ridge well developed; metepisternum (eps 3) probably unsclerotised, without postmetaspiracular setae (eps 3 s) on either side. Metepimeron (epm 3) well developed but without setae. Membrane bounded anteriorly by scutellum and posteriorly by postnotum lightly striated. Antemetaspiracular setae (am 3 s) absent. Metathoracic spiracle (sp 3): 16–21 μm wide. Metasternum (stn 3) apparently membranous; metasternal setae (amss + pmss) absent.

Wings: missing. Hamulohalteres present: 60–65 μm long, 13–21 μm wide, hamulus 46–60 μm long.

Legs: prothoracic legs possibly marginally longest. Coxae (cx): I 52–61; II 47–53; III 42–45 μm long; coxa III with about 5 hs; long apical setae on each coxa absent. Trochanter (tr) + femur (fm): I 111–122; II 108–122; III 105–114 μm long; trochanter III with 1 hs; long trochanter seta up to 23–28 μm long; femur III with about 6 hs. Tibia (ti) and tarsus (ta) fused: I 148–159; II 132–143; III 132–138 μm; tibia + tibia III with a total of 13–16 setae, mainly fs and spur-like setae, but those on ventral surface bifurcated; surface distinctly reticulated, each reticulation rather elongate; without tibial spurs (tibs); tarsal campaniform pore absent; tarsal digitules (tdt) subequal to length of claw, each with a small apical knob. Claws (c) rather small, narrowing gradually, with a small denticle; length: III 18 μm, subequal to width of tarsus; claw digitules (cdt) slightly longer than claw, with small apical knobs.

Abdomen: segments I–V: tergites (at) and sternites (as) probably unsclerotised; tergites and sternites VI and VII probably lightly sclerotised. Caudal extension (ce) of segment VII absent. Dorsal setae (ads): segments I–VII possibly each with 1 (or 2?) pairs of small hs. Pleural setae: dorsopleural + ventropleural setae unclear but perhaps I–IV each without setae and V–VII each with 1 small hs on each side. Ventral setae (avs): II–VII each with 1 pair of small hs.

Segment VIII: tergite (at) and sternite (as) sclerotised, ring-like; tergite with 3 or 4 pairs of small dorsal abdominal setae (ads); sternite (as) with 1 pair of small hs ventral abdominal setae (avs); caudal extension (ce) absent but with 2 small hs pleural setae on each side. Glandular pouches (gp) absent.

Genital segments: segment IX quite distinctly sclerotised; rather narrow, but broader than penial sheath (length 18–21 μm; width 66–79 μm); anal opening on dorsum reasonably distinct; setae absent. Style heavily sclerotised, broad anteriorly, abruptly narrowing into a long needle-like posterior part; total length of style 275–300 μm; anterior broad section with 1 pair fairly long hs dorsally and with 1 pair of longer setae laterally where it abruptly narrows; style with about 4 small pores near apex. Aedeagus very long, of approximately equal width throughout, though possibly slightly spatulate near apex; length 248–270 μm; basal rod extending from anterior end of aedeagus to (or almost to) posterior of margin IX, length 8–25 μm.

Figures

FIGURE 56.Conchaspis vayssiereiMamet.Macropterous male. (Conchaspididae).Where D=fleshy setae on antenna, F=bifurcated seta, R=dermal markings on ocular sclerite and T=dermal markings on thorax, legs and antennae.