Insularicoccus carolinensis (Beardsley) Chris J. Hodgson & Douglas J. Williams, 2018

Chris J. Hodgson & Douglas J. Williams, 2018, Revision of the soft scale genus Paralecanium (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) with the introduction of three new genera and twenty new species, Zootaxa 4443 (1), pp. 1-162 : 11-14

Insularicoccus carolinensis (Beardsley) comb. n.

( Fig. 1 )

Paralecanium carolinensis Beardsley, 1966 , 488. Type data: CAROLINE ISLANDS: Losap Island, Losap, on Pandanus sp. Holotype, female. Type depository: Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Department of Entomology Collection, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.

Paralecanium carolinense ; Pellizzari & Williams, 2013, 408. Change of combination requiring emendation of specific epithet for agreement in gender.

Material examined. Paratype ff: FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA: left label: on Pandanus sp. / Losap, Losap Atoll / Caroline Is. / Oct. 31, 1952 M 5889 / J.W. Beardsley (USNM): 1/3adff (f-g, rather heavily stained except one unstained and very young, appendages not yet expanded; paratypes). Paratype ff: left label: Nomwin I. / Nomwin Atoll / Caroline Is. / Feb. 1954 / J.W. Beardsley coll / on Pandanus . Right label: Paralecanium / carolinensis / Beardsley. (USNM): 1/2adf (fg, rather heavily stained). Paratype f: left label: Nomwin I. / Nomwin Atoll / Caroline Is. / Feb. 1954 / J.W. Beardsley coll / on Pandanus . Right label: Paralecanium / carolinensis / Beardsley / Paratypes (USNM): 1/1adf (f, heavily stained).

Note. The description is based on all 6 specimens. Data in [..] brackets below are taken from Beardsley (1966). Some ventral characters are hard to see due to the denseness of the stain.

Slide-mounted adult female. Body almost round, symmetrical. Length 2.0–2.5 [3.0] mm, width 1.7–2.0 [2.5] mm.

Dorsum. Derm of mature adults fairly uniformly sclerotised; submarginally with quite large areolations; most of rest of derm with abundant minute pale spots and obscure areolations. Marginal radial lines very pronounced, each membranous with heavily sclerotised margins, broad near margin, narrowing medially, often sinuous and suggesting part of a polygonal pattern; with 11 lines on head between anterior stigmatic clefts, a short line from each spiracular cleft, each side with 3 between clefts and 11 pairs on abdomen; larger broad rays from each stigmatic cleft absent. Abdominal clear areas small and rather obscure, with 4 pairs present on abdomen; absent from prothorax. Dorsal setae each strongly setose with a fine, almost flagellate apex, often slightly curved, each 10–12 [14] µm long, possibly restricted to submarginally within each radial band; probably absent medially. Preopercular pores present associated with each abdominal clear area, each apparently composed of several pores fused into a compound pore; size very variable; with 4–8 compound pores associated with each clear area; each compound pore 5–18 [6–20] µm at its widest; pores associated with CA5 present, either very small compound pores or a small group of 0–5 individual pores close to anal plates. Other dorsal pores of 3 types present: (i) simple pores, each about 2 [3] µm wide in a clear area of derm, rather sparse, perhaps in a polygonal pattern throughout apart from medially; (ii) smaller pores, probably microducts, each about 1.5 [2] µm wide, perhaps with a bulbous inner ductule, possibly more randomly distributed, and (iii) minute dark microducts, each with a short inner ductule, rather randomly distributed (only visible on youngest specimen). Anal plates with outer angle rounded; anterior margins slightly shorter than posterior margins, length 125–130 µm, combined width 85–100 [each 48–50] µm; each plate with 3 minute setae near apex and a single discal seta more medially; apparently without small pores medially. Anogenital fold with 2 or 3 pairs of setae on anterior margin plus a single seta in middle of each lateral margin and another at posterior end.

Margin. Marginal ornamentation present in the form of sclerotised castellations, each without faint radial lines, with about 3 or 4 castellations between each pair of marginal setae. Marginal setae very broad and short; each 38– 45 [35–45] µm wide and 10–18 [max. 18] µm long; with about 63–73 setae anteriorly between anterior stigmatic clefts, each side with 21–26 between stigmatic clefts, and about 56–67 along abdominal margin. Stigmatic clefts quite deep, with a sclerotised inner margin, each with 8–15 [9–20] clavate spinose setae arranged in a narrow triangle, broadest nearest margin; each spinose seta 13–25 µm long. Anal cleft possibly fused along entire length. Eyespots each more or less round, located away from margin on dorsum; width of each socket 28–45 µm; diameter of each lens 15–18 µm.

Venter. Mature specimens with marginal band about 95 µm wide. Multilocular disc-pores frequent on either side of genital opening and on preceding two segments only; each side with 1 3–21 on segment VII, 21–24 on VI and 19–22 on segment V. Spiracular disc-pores present in a narrow band about 2 pores wide between margin and each spiracle; with 16–33 in each band. Ventral microducts associated with mouthparts but distribution elsewhere uncertain. Ventral setae: with 2 pairs of interantennal setae; longer setae present medially on most abdominal segments, that on segment VII 90 –100 µm long; other setae scarce apart from submarginally. Antennae well developed, each with 6 segments: total length 170–185 [190] µm; setal distribution normal for Coccidae with welldeveloped antennae. Clypeolabral shield about 110 µm long. Spiracles small, width of each peritreme 20–25 µm. Legs well-developed but somewhat reduced in size, with tibia and tarsus fused and trochanter + femur with only obscure segmentation; dimensions of hind leg (µm): coxa 53–56, trochanter + femur 58–60, tibia + tarsus 53–55 and claw 5–6; tarsal digitules shorter than or subequal to length of claw digitules and possibly not capitate; claw digitules rather narrowly capitate; claw without a denticle.

Comments. In the original description, Beardsley (1966) considered that the larger dorsal pores were loculate (described as stellate and shown as quinquelocular in the figure) but on the specimens seen here this did not appear to be true; here they are thought to represent a group of preopercular pores that have fused. In addition, the smallest dorsal pores were described as small tubular ducts; many of them do have an inner ductule but it is here considered that these pores are simple pores with an inner ductule.

Currently, this species appears to be restricted to Pandanus sp. on the islands forming the Caroline Island group. For differences from I. syzygium , see comments beneath that species description below.

Host-plant. Pandanus sp. ( Pandanaceae ). Unconfirmed host plant: Freycinetia sp. ( Pandanaceae ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Insularicoccus carolinensis (Beardsley), adult female. Where ar = areolations; ca = clear area; cp = compound pore; mb = ventral marginal band; mo = marginal ornamentation; mrl = marginal radial line, and v, vi and vii = abdominal segmentation on venter.