Antecerococcus ornatus (Green)

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 : 176-179

Antecerococcus ornatus (Green) ( Fig. 69 )

Solenococcus ornatus Cockerell 1899c, 392 . nomen nudum .

Cerococcus ornatus Green 1909, 306 . Type data: Sri Lanka, Pundaluoya, on Coffea arabica . Lectotype, female, by subsequent designation ( Lambdin & Kosztarab 1977, 159). Type depository: BMNH.

Coricoccus ornatus (Green) ; Mahdihassan 1933, 562. Change of combination.

Antecerococcus ornatus (Green) ; Hodgson & Williams 2016, 87. Change of combination.

Material examined. Sri Lanka ( Ceylon), Parudaluoya (probably Pundaluoya), no host, no date, E.E. Green ( BMNH): 1/2ad ♂♂ (one fair to good but with head twisted, only one antenna, some legs missing, no wings and all claws twisted or damaged; other specimen very poor but with wings).

Mounted material: quite small, total body length about 1.1 mm; antennae a little over half total body length; body with very few setae, fleshy setae (fs) possibly absent except on limbs; length of fs on antennae a little longer than width of antennal segments. Wings about 4/5ths total body length and about 5/8th as wide as long.

Head: twisted and misshapen on slide; width across genae unknown. Median crest (mc) broadest posteriorly and reticulated; with (on each side) 11–15 fs + 6–7 hs dorsal head setae (dhs); without simple pore-like structures; preoccipital ridge (por) quite well defined, curved postero-laterally. Mid-cranial ridge: dorsal ridge (dmcr) well developed and long, extending anteriorly from just anterior to preoccipital ridge almost to lateral arms of ventral mid-cranial ridge (lmcr); ventral ridge (vmcr) also well developed, extending from lmcr to anterior margin of ocular sclerite; with a narrow area of reticulation anteriorly, which quickly broadens posteriorly, fusing with ocu- lar sclerite (ocs); without ventral mid-cranial ridge setae (vmcrs). Genae (g) with distinct polygonal reticulations, each reticulation quite large and with highly meandering inner microridges; genal setae (gs) absent. Eyes: with two pairs of round simple eyes; dorsal eyes (dse) slightly smaller than ventral eyes (vse): dse each 40–42 μm wide, vse each about 50 μm. Ocelli (o) absent. Ocular sclerite (ocs) sclerotised and polygonally reticulated throughout, each reticulation quite large, without inner microridges. Preocular ridge (procr) very short both dorsally and ventrally, little more than an articulatory sclerite for each scape; dorsally with an interocular ridge, which almost fuses with preocular ridge ventrally, and which extends dorsoposteriorly past lateral margin of dorsal simple eye, where it fuses with postocular ridge. Postocular ridge (pocr) strongly developed, extending dorsally past posterior margin of each dorsal eye where it divides, anterior arm extending around margin of simple eye (where it almost fuses with preocular ridge) and posterior arm extending medially almost to preoccipital ridge. Dorsal ocular setae (docs) absent. Due to head being twisted, presence of a strong sclerotised ridge extending posteriorly from between ventral eyes almost to preoral ridge could not be detected. Ventral head setae (vhs) abundant, with perhaps 27–31 fs + 11–12 hs on each side, between and posterior to each ventral eye. Preoral ridge (pror) possibly absent. Cranial apophysis (ca) not detected.

Antennae: 10-segmented and filiform; 600 μm long (ratio of total body length to antennal length 1:0.55). Scape (scp): 48 μm long, width uncertain, with a total of 4 fs + 3 hs. Pedicel (pdc): length 66 μm, width 50 μm, with a few concentric ridges; with 5 fs + 3 hs. Segments III–X all 19–25 μm wide: fs 28–35 μm long, lengths of segments (μm): III 76; IV 70; V 75; VI 71; VII 66; VIII 51 and IX 38; approximate number of setae per segment: III 17 fs + 14 hs (sensilla basiconica not detected); IV 12 fs + 0 hs; V 21 fs + 0 hs; VI 19 fs + 1 hs; VII:17 fs + 0 hs; VIII 18 fs + 1 hs; IX 14 fs + 2 hs (bristles, if present, undifferentiated). Segment X 42 μm long, oval, not constricted apically; number of setae uncertain as most broken.

Thorax. Prothorax: pronotal ridge (prnr) well-developed but possibly not fused, extending ventrally to close to cervical sclerite (cv); with a distinct, striated, lateral pronotal sclerite (prn); without lateral pronotal (lpns) setae. Medial pronotal setae, post-tergites and post-tergital setae apparently absent. Sternum (stn 1): median ridge not sclerotised, indicated by a diffuse sclerotised area; with a quite strong transverse ridge; without prosternal setae (stn 1 s). Anteprosternal (astn 1 s) and antemesospiracular setae (am 2 s) absent.

Mesothorax: prescutum (prsc) well developed, 87 μm long; 120 μm wide; sclerotised and strongly nodulated; prescutal ridges (pscr) well developed; prescutal suture (pscs) present but much less distinct. Scutum (sct): median membranous area 136 μm wide, 76 μm long; faintly reticulated; lateral margins of membranous area also more strongly sclerotised than rest of margins, with 3 or 4 hs on each lateral margin; rest of scutum sclerotised and distinctly reticulated antero-laterally and laterad to scutellum; scutal setae (scts) absent laterally; without a distinct prealar ridge. Scutellum (scl) 157 μm wide, 66 μm long; with an inverted U-shaped scutellar ridge (sclr); probably not tubular but with a large foramen; scutellar setae (scls) absent. Basisternum (stn 2) 260 μm wide, 170 μm long; without a median ridge (mdr) although with a broad median area slightly more heavily sclerotised; bounded anteriorly by a strong marginal ridge (mr) and posteriorly by strong precoxal ridges (pcr 2); without basisternal setae (stn 2 s); lateropleurite (lpl) broad, with a fairly strong extension from marginal ridge anteriorly; furca (f) well developed and narrow-waisted, arms very divergent and extending about 2/3rds to marginal ridge. Mesopostnotum (pn 2) and postnotal apophysis (pna) well developed; median area of mesopostnotum without any sclerotisation. Mesepisternum (eps 2) reticulated; subepisternal ridge well developed. Postalare (pa) not reticulated anteriorly; without postalare setae (pas). Mesothoracic spiracle (sp 2): peritreme 25 μm wide. Postmesospiracular setae (pm 2 s) absent. Tegula (teg) not detected, with 0–2 fs + 2–7 hs tegular setae (tegs) on each side.

Metathorax: with a single pair of metatergal setae (mts). Dorsospiracular setae (dss): with 2 hs on one side. Metapostnotum (pn 3) distinct and sclerotised, broadest laterally. Dorsal part of metapleural ridge (plr 3) absent and without a suspensorial sclerite (ss). Ventral part of metapleural ridge well developed; metepisternum (eps 3) unsclerotised anteriorly, without postmetaspiracular setae (eps 3 s), but with a distinct, sclerotised metaprecoxal ridge (pcr 3) extending medially almost to metasternum. Metepimeron (epm 3) elongate, extending posteriorly to what appears to be an apophysis; without setae. Antemetaspiracular setae (am 3 s) absent. Metathoracic spiracle (sp 3): width of peritreme 25 μm. Metasternum (stn 3) represented by a curved sclerotised ridge; metasternal apophyses present at each end of ridge; without either anterior (amss) or posterior metasternal setae (pmss).

Wings: hyaline, 900–925 μm long, 425 μm wide (ratio of length to width 1:0.47; ratio of total body length to wing length 1:0.83); alar lobe (al) and alar setae (als) absent. Hamulohalteres absent.

Legs: approximately subequal in length. Coxae (cx): I 91; II 120; III 104 μm long; coxa III with about 14 fs + 6 hs; long apical setae on each coxa not differentiated. Trochanter (tr) + femur (fm): I 236; II 215; III 219 μm long; trochanter III with about 5 fs + 2 hs; long trochanter seta not differentiated; femur III with about 25 fs + 10 hs. Tibia (ti): I 182; II 203; III 220 μm; tibia III with a total of about 63 setae, mainly fs and hs, a few becoming spur-like on distal third of leg; with two well-developed apical spurs (tibs), length 19–25 μm. Tarsi (ta): I 149; II ??; III 153 μm long (ratio of length of tibia III to tarsus III 1:0.69); tarsus III with a total of about 72 setae, mainly spur-like; tarsal spurs barely differentiated, each 23 μm long; tarsal campaniform pore present; tarsal digitules (tdt) mostly broken off, length uncertain. Claw (c) structure unknown; claw digitules (cdt) probably setiform, without an apical knob.

Abdomen: segments I–VII: tergites (at) membranous; sternites (as) quite strongly sclerotised. Pleurites sclerotised on segments V–VII, sclerotisation possibly not including ventropleural setae. Caudal extension (ce) of segment VII short and rounded. Dorsal setae (ads) (totals): segment I 3 or 4; II–VII without setae. Pleural setae: dorsopleural setae (dps) (on each side): I–VII each with 2 hs; ventropleural setae (vps) (on each side): II–V without setae; VI & VII each with 1 hs. Ventral setae (avs) (totals): II 2 hs; III–VI each with 4 hs; VII 5–6 hs.

Segment VIII: tergite (at) slightly sclerotised, with 1 long seta and 2 short hs on each side rather laterally; sternite (as) more heavily sclerotised; with 2–4 hs ventral abdominal setae (avs) on each side; caudal extension (ce) rounded but with 2 hs pleural setae. Pleurites sclerotised but perhaps not including ventro-pleural seta. Glandular pouches (gp) present but very shallow and with rather few disc-pores; glandular pouch setae (gls) apparently of two lengths, one about 230 μm long, other about 85 μm long.

Genital segments: penial sheath (segment IX and style fused) forming a single triangular structure; total length 147 μm; width at base of segment VIII 78 μm (ratio of total body length to penial sheath length 1:0.13). Anteriorly penial sheath broad, with a sclerotised border; ventrally and dorsally rather membranous; ventrally with an obvious basal membranous area (bma), with 3 medium length (20–50 μm long) hs on each side and with 2 pairs hs more pos- teriorly nearer margin; dorsally with 1 long setose seta + 1 shorter setose seta on margin; no setae along margins of style. Style rapidly tapering to a fine apex, sclerotised, particularly anteriorly and laterally; with 5 or 6 small sensilla near apex but no small setae. Basal rod (bra) short, not reaching margin of sternite VIII anteriorly: length perhaps 13 μm anterior to aedeagus and with no posterior extension. Aedeagus (aed) parallel-sided with a pointed apex; length 101 μm, width 15 μm (ratio of aedeagus length to basal rod length 1:0.13); aedeagus reaching almost at tip of penial sheath.

Comment. The structure of the metathorax appears to be rather primitive, with a strongly sclerotised metapostnotum dorsally and with a sclerotised ridge medially on the metasternum (possibly representing the sternellum and median ridge of Theron?) and a long metaprecoxal ridge extending from the metapleural ridge medially almost to the sternal ridge. None of these characters are present on the other two species discussed here.

Figures

FIGURE 69. Antecerococcus ornatus (Green). Macropterous male. (Cerococcidae). Where R=dermal reticulations on ocular sclerite.