Ceraleurodicus keris, John H. Martin, 2004

John H. Martin, 2004, Whiteflies of Belize (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Part 1 — introduction and account of the subfamily Aleurodicinae Quaintance & Baker, Zootaxa 681, pp. 1-86 : 35-36

Ceraleurodicus keris sp. nov.

( Figs 17–19, 67, 136, Table 1 ) PUPARIUM. Habitus. Appearance in life rather cryptic, with the only visible secretions being a long fibrous thread guided from each of the large compound pores by a long axial process (Fig. 136); puparia develop singly, typically with the body laterally adpressed to the leaf midrib or a major leaf vein. Margin. Outline usually asymmetrical ( Figs 17, 18), 2.37–4.25 mm long, 0.90–1.74 mm wide, generally widest at abdominal segments II/III (n=21). Margin planar, fine and not tending to down­curl on slides, smooth but with very fine submarginal folds, lending an appearance of contiguous­sided “pseudo­teeth” (Fig. 67c); margin modified into very fine crenulations at lateral extremities of most rays (see below) and always distinctly indented at extremity of posteriormost pair of rays (Fig. 67c). Dorsum. Longitudinal moulting suture reaching puparial margin; transverse moulting sutures, and all other intersegmental divisions, only suture­like submedially. With 9 pairs of rays leading mesad from puparial margin, all except the anteriormost and posteriormost pairs coalescing with submedian intersegmental divisions. Dorsal disc flattened, smooth; cuticle without coloration in the study samples, except for a brownish ring surrounding each large compound pore ( Figs 18, 67a — but see comments, below). Abdominal segment VII distinct medially, about two­thirds as long as segment VI but longer than segment VIII anterior to vasiform orifice; paired submedian pockets pronounced, extending anteriorly about half­way towards segment VI/VII division. Vasiform orifice (Fig. 67b) elongate rounded­triangular, 0.15–0.19 mm long, about 1.5 times longer than wide basally, laterally smooth and straight, with a pair of subapical shoulders and a distinct apical boss, orifice inset from caudal margin by 3–5 times its own length; operculum ovoid and smooth, wider than long and sometimes with a pair of posterior marginal setae visible; lingula head finely spinulose, rounded­diamond shaped, exactly occupying posterior part of vasiform orifice, bearing the usual 4 subapical setae. Caudal furrow absent. Chaetotaxy. With 15 pairs (occasionally 14 on one side) of inner submarginal setae present, including nominal caudal pair, these very short and fine but with their bases rather robust in proportion, their apices not closely approaching puparial margin (Fig. 67a,c); single pairs of submedian cephalic, pro­, meso­ and metathoracic setae present, similar to submarginal setae; eighth abdominal setae longer, fine, situated lateral to anteriormost point of vasiform orifice (Fig. 67b). Anterior and posterior marginal setae present, similar to each other, similar to eighth abdominal setae, their bases situated ventrally, slightly away from margin. Pores. Large compound pores, 40–50 µ m in diameter, usually present only on side of body furthest from adjacent leaf vein ( Fig 17, 18), one cephalic pore and 2 or 3 abdominal pores on segments III–IV or III–V; occasionally puparia are more symmetrical and some large compound pores are paired on either side of body ( Fig. 19, Table 1 ); from each large compound pore issues a long, brown, robust axial process that extends well beyond puparial margin and may reach 0.90 mm in length; axial processes approximately straight, swordlike, but often slightly “wavy” towards apex (Fig. 67a), and those of more teneral specimens tending to curl in maceration potash. All specimens with a tiny submarginal compound pore on each side of body, at distal end of posteriormost pair of rays, mesad of abdominal marginal indentations (Fig. 67c), these pores 20–25 µ m in diameter. Surrounding each large compound pore is an annulus of brown­pigmented cuticle incorporating a ring of large, protuberant simple pores (Fig. 67a). Dorsal disc punctuated by fairly evenly distributed small loculate pores and simple porettes, the loculate pores each not apparently associated with a porette; a row of slightly larger simple pores is present to either side of vasiform orifice. Ve nt er. Ventral abdominal setae almost as long as vasiform orifice, their bases underlying it. Underlying rays on pro­/mesothorax and abdominal segment VII/VIII, are subtle tracheal folds which are finely spinulose, especially distally, sometimes other rays are ventrally similarly marked; caudal tracheal fold is subtly marked by line of rather sparse tiny spinules. Legs each bisegmented, smooth, each with usual apical claw, and with small number of fine setae on distal segment and a variable small number of tiny setae on each basal segment. Antennae with basal one­third smooth­sided and remainder finely corrugate­sided, each with pronounced apical point, their apices (in all specimens) reaching articulation of middle legs, their bases situated anteromesal to fore legs. Rostrum elongate, a little longer than vasiform orifice.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Holotype puparium, BELIZE, CFR, Las Cuevas study plots, on Laetia thamnia (Flacourtiaceae) , 29.v. 2004 (J.H.Martin #7938) ( BMNH). Paratypes: 1 puparium, BELIZE, CFR, Monkey Tail track, on Protium copal (Burseraceae) , 05.vi. 2004 (Martin #7991) ( BMNH); 3 puparia, NICARAGUA, Granada Province, Domitila Forest Reserve, near Nandaime, on undetermined broadleaved sapling, 13.vi.2004 (Martin #8030) ( BMNH); 4 puparia, 1 third­instar / puparium intermoult, 1 third­instar larva, NICARAGUA, Rio San Juan Province, Rio San Juan / Rio Bartola confluence, on Uncaria tomentosa (Rubiaceae) , 22.vi.2004 (Martin #8078) ( BMNH); 9 puparia (2 dry on leaf), same locality, on Lunania parviflora (Flacourtiaceae) , 24.vi.2004 (Martin #8083) ( BMNH, USNM); 2 puparia, COSTA RICA, Turrialba, CATIE research centre, on Eupatorium sp. ( Asteraceae ), 01.iii.1983 (Martin #3924) ( BMNH); 1 puparium, PANAMÁ, Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Island, on Mouriri myrtilloides (Melastomataceae) , 01.i.1983 (Martin #3478) ( BMNH); 1 puparium, same locality, on Pentagonia macrophylla (Rubiaceae) , 15.iii.1983 (Martin #4026) ( BMNH); 1 puparium, Canal Zone,