Group C. BSE ERIOCOCCIDAE

Introduction. The molecular studies of Cook and Gullan (Cook & Gullan 2004; Gullan & Cook 2007; Kondo et al. 2016) found that there was a clade within the Eriococcidae that included E. buxi, the Australian eriococcid genus Cylindrococcus Maskell (1892) (Fig. 43) and the families Beesoniidae and Stictococcidae . In the analysis of Hodgson and Hardy (2013), E. buxi fell within a polytomy which included the acanthococcine eriococcids, possibly because the sensoria on each trochanter are roundish and in a triangle. However, the italicized character-states below separate it quickly from the acanthococcid group, whilst the possession of halteres separates it from the Gondwanan group and from the Stictococcidae and Beesoniidae . These four taxa ( E. buxi, Cylindrococcus, Beesoniidae and Stictococcidae are dealt with separately below.