Eriococcus buxi (Fonscolombe)

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 : 104-105

Eriococcus buxi (Fonscolombe) ( Fig.42 )

Coccus buxi Boyer de Fonscolombe 1834, 218 . Type data: FRANCE, Aix-en-Provence, on Buxus sempervirens , May 1834. Syntypes, female. Type material probably lost.

Eriococcus buxi (Boyer de Fonscolombe) ; Targioni Tozzetti 1868, 726. Change of combination.

Nidularia buxi (Boyer de Fonscolombe) ; Lindinger 1935, 135. Change of combination.

The adult male of E. buxi was described in detail by Afifi (1968) and his illustration is used here ( Fig. 42 ).

Species diagnosis based on morphology of adult male ( Fig. 42 ) Body not attenuated; abdomen more or less parallel sided; with few setae. Head: simple pores absent; preocular ridge poorly developed; interocular ridge absent; genal setae present; ocelli touching postocular ridge; ocular sclerite without reticulations; postoccipital ridge well developed, with both anterior and posterior arms; antennae 10 segmented; flagellar segments with both hs and fs; capitate setae present on apical antennal segment only. Thorax: prosternal ridge present; prescutum with prescutal setae; scutal setae present laterally; scutellum with scutellar setae; postmesospiracular setae present; basisternal setae present; metasternum with few setae; metaprecoxal ridge well developed; postmetaspiracular setae present; hamulohalteres present; alar lobes present; alar setae absent; alar sensoria absent; trochanter with 3 sensoria on each side placed in a triangle; tibia with 2 spurs and some smaller spines; tarsi 2 segmented; tarsal digitules capitate; claw digitules capitate, claws narrow and sharply pointed. Abdomen: tergites and sternites unsclerotised; fs absent; glandular pouches present on segment VIII; caudal extensions absent; segment IX with short setae, setae on style longer; penial sheath becoming sharply pointed posteriorly and a little longer than width at base of segment IX; aedeagus curved ventrally.

Comment. The configuration of the campaniform sensilla on each side of the trochanter in a triangle immediately separates E. buxi from the arrangement found on the Beesoniidae , Stictococcidae and Cylindrococcus on which the sensilla are found more or less in a line. The distribution of these sensilla on E. buxi is here considered to be the ancestral arrangement and probably explains why it did not fall within the BSE clade in Hodgson and Hardy (2013). On the other hand, E. buxi does share the other italicised character-states in the diagnosis above with beesoniids and stictococcids.

Figures

FIGURE 42. Eriococcus buxi (Fonscolombe). Macropterous male. (Eriococcidae, BSE group) (after Afifi 1968). Where B=anterior view of head, C=apical antennal segments, D=mesoprephragma (anterior view) and mesopostphragma (posterior view), F=metathoracic leg and G=claw.