Carpochloroides Cockerell, 1899

Hodgson, Chris & Miller, Dug, 2010, A Review of the Eriococcid Genera (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea) of South America 2459, Zootaxa 2459 (1), pp. 1-101 : 30

Carpochloroides Cockerell

Carpochloroides Cockerell, 1899: 12 . Type species Carpochloroides viridis Cockerell, 1899: 12–13 .

Generic diagnosis. Adult female ( Fig. 12 ). Body globular. Derm membranous, without visible segmentation but with large faint reticulations. Dorsum. Setae finely spinose, very sparse. Macrotubular ducts absent. Microtubular ducts small, mainly present in centre of each reticulation. Loculate pores each with mainly 3–5 loculi, with 1 per reticulation, present over a broad area anterior to anal ring. Anal lobes absent. Median plate absent. Anus with a sclerotised ring without setae or pores. Margin. Undefined. Venter. Setae similar to those on dorsum, sparse. Macrotubular ducts absent. Microtubular ducts longer and narrower than those on dorsum, frequent throughout. Loculate pores similar to those on dorsum; exact distribution uncertain but associated with each spiracle and elsewhere on at least thorax. Cruciform pores absent. Antennae apparently 1 segmented. Frontal lobes and antennal tubercles both absent. Mouthparts with a pair of large apodemes arising from tentorial box, at least on old adults. Labium probably 2 segmented. Spiracles large. Pro- and mesothoracic legs absent; metathoracic legs represented by a pair of short membranous protuberances; translucent pores absent. Position of vulva unclear.

Known only from Myrtaceae .

Comment. Carpochloroides currently contains 2 species, C. mexicanus Ferris from Mexico and the type species from Brazil. We have only examined the type species. Carpochloroides is similar to some other genera of South American eriococcids such as Capulinia and Apiococcus but differs in having the following combination of characters: (i) enlarged apodemes attached to the tentorial box (also present on Aculeococcus and Tectococcus – but see “Comment” under the adult female below); (ii) a reticulate pattern on the derm, each reticulation with a pore or duct in its center, and (iii) reduction of the antennae to either a indistinct tubercle or completely absent. According to Gullan et al. (2005), only C. mexicanus induces galls; in this case, on the petioles.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Carpochloroides viridis Cockerell. Adult female, where A = dorsal spinose seta; B = dorsal microtubular duct; C = dorsal loculate pore; D = derm showing reticulate pattern with microtubular ducts; F = view of anal area, K = ventral microtubular duct; L = ventral loculate pore; P = anterior spiracle; S = view of ventral derm showing reticulations, etc; V = antenna, and W = mesothoracic leg.