Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell)

(Fig. 44)

Dactylopius sacchari Cockerell, 1895: 195 . Dactylopius sacchari brasiliensis van Gorkum, 1913: 29. Trionymus praegrandis James, 1936: 200 .

DIAGNOSIS. Body of adult female elongate oval to broadly oval. Antennae usually 7 segmented. Legs well developed, often small for size of body, area of derm surrounding hind coxae with numerous minute pores; claw without a denticle. Anal ring bearing 6 setae. With a single pair of cerarii, on anal lobes only, surrounding area not sclerotized. Circulus large, usually described as hour-glass- or dumb-bell-shaped. Ostioles present, represented by anterior and posterior pairs. Long stout setae present singly on lateral margins of posterior abdominal segments. Multilocular disc pores present mainly on anterior and posterior edges of segments and around lateral margins of both surfaces; fairly numerous also on medial ventral areas of head and thorax. Oral collar ducts present on venter only, minute, in transverse rows on abdomen; a few also on submargins of head and thorax.

DISTRIBUTION. Afrotropical, Nearctic, Neotropical, Oriental, Palaearctic: China, Egypt, Iran and Israel. In Iran, S. sacchari occurs in Khouzestan. Only known on Poaceae (Ben-Dov et al., 2012) .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Khouzestan: Ahvaz, 9 adult Ƥ, on Saccharum officinalis (Poaceae), 1.vi.2005 (A. Narrehei)

COMMENTS. S. sacchari is a common pest of sugarcane (Ben-Dov et al. 2012) and lives on the stems and under the leaf sheaths. There is no evidence of damage in Iran.

The accompanying illustration is taken from Williams (1970) with kind permission from the author.