Mollitrichosiphum Suenaga

Zhang, Dong & Qiao, Gexia, 2010, Mollitrichosiphum Suenaga from China (Hemiptera: Aphididae), with the description of one new species, Zootaxa 2608, pp. 1-24 : 2-4

Mollitrichosiphum Suenaga

Mollitrichosiphum Suenaga, 1934: 798 . Type species: Trichosiphum tenuicorpus Okajima, 1908 .

Metatrichosiphon Raychaudhuri, 1956: 79 .

Neotrichosiphon Raychaudhuri, 1956: 79.

Mollitrichosiphum Suenaga : Raychaudhuri & Chatterjee, 1980: 353; Ghosh & Agarwala, 1993: 267; Noordam, 1994: 123; Remaudière & Remaudière, 1997: 176; Tao, 1999: 29.

Diagnosis. Median portion of frons flat, antennal tubercles slightly developed. Antennae 6-segmented. First tarsal chaetotaxy: 7, 7, 7. Hind tibia with numerous transverse ridges. Venter of abdomen spinulose and forming two distinct elongated areas of dense spinulosity postero-laterally. Siphunculi cylindrical, elongated, densely covered with spinules. Cauda and anal plate rounded or transversely oval. In alatae, antennal segment III with numerous secondary rhinaria, median vein of the fore wing twice branched, hind wing with two oblique veins.

Comments. The species of this genus colonize young leaves and branches of plants belonging to several families, including Betulaceae , Elaeagnaceae , Fagaceae , Juglandaceae , Lauraceae , Meliaceae , Proteaceae , Sabiaceae , and Sapindaceae , also rarely Simaroubaceae , Anacardiaceae and Rosidae. Thus, the species in this genus are really polyphagous with wide host ranges. On the Greenideines in the world, the host plant ranges are from Magnolidae through Hammamelide-Dillenidae-Rosidae-Asteridae, thus being fully restricted to Magnoliatae ( Ghosh & Agarwala, 1993). The host ranges of the genus are coincidence with the situation in subfamily Greenideinae .

In addition, based on the collecting information in the field, Mollitrichosiphum yamabiwae Suenaga can reproduce the sexuales in the end of October on Meliosma rigida from Fujian, China; the species may be holocycly in the region. And ecologically, each species of Greenideinae is likely to be monoecious (Dixon, 1985). Until now, sexual morphs have been recorded for three species, but most of the species seem to reproduce anholocycly ( Ghosh & Agarwala, 1993). There are eighteen species worldwide, eleven in China including the new species described here.

nov. (Apterous viviparous females in mm).

Part (for abbreviations see Material and methods) Apterous viviparous females n = 12

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Part (for abbreviations see Material and methods) Apterous viviparous females n = 12

Mean Range STDEV

Ratios Antenna/Body 0.65 0.61–0.7 0.03 Hind femur/Ant.III 1.07 1.00–1.16 0.046 Hind tibia/Body 0.45 0.42–0.50 0.025 PT/Ant.VIb 1.45 1.27–1.62 0.113 URS/BW URS 7.27 5.28–8.22 0.79 URS/2HT 2.49 2.19–2.66 0.134 SIPH/Body 0.61 0.56–0.67 0.037 SIPH/Cauda 23.70 17.30–29.10 3.87 SIPH/BW SIPH 10.90 9.05–12.70 1.146 Cauda/BW Cauda 0.32 0.25–0.42 0.056 Length of setae on Ant.III/ Ant.IIIWD 3.98 3.06–4.58 0.434 Cephalic setae/ Ant.IIIWD 3.56 3.18–4.16 0.264 Marginal setae on Tergum I/Ant.IIIWD 3.10 2.15–3.97 0.509 Dorsal setae on Tergum VIII/Ant.IIIWD 1.95 0.88–2.65 0.496 Setae on hind tibia /MW hind tibia 1.81 1.56–2.09 0.174 Head width/SIPH 0.32 0.28–0.37 0.026 Head width/Cauda 7.63 5.64–9.39 1.233 PT/SIPH 0.18 0.15–0.21 0.022 The type specimens of Eutrichosiphum alnisuctum Zhang have been re-examined. The result indicated that the species is with transverse ridges on the hind tibia, which is the diagnosis character of Mollitrichosiphum . By comparing with the species of Molltrichosiphum, the species is here recognized as a synonym of Mollitrichosiphum (Metatrichosiphon) nandii Basu.