Tectococcus Hempel

Hodgson, Chris & Miller, Dug, 2010, A Review of the Eriococcid Genera (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea) of South America 2459, Zootaxa 2459 (1), pp. 1-101 : 82-83

Tectococcus Hempel

Tectococcus Hempel 1900: 379 , 406.

Type species: Tectococcus ovatus Hempel 1900: 406–407 .

Generic diagnosis. Adult female ( Fig. 42 ). Induces circular galls on both sides of leaf. Adult female ovate, swollen, dusted with white powder. Body outline approximately egg-shaped, broadest across thorax, with rounded head and pointed abdomen. Dorsum. Derm membranous. Setae spinose, with blunt apices; frequent; rather variable in size. Microtubular ducts small; extremely scarce, apparently most abundant medially on metathorax. Macrotubular ducts much larger, with a narrow outer ductule; absent on abdominal segment VIII but frequent to abundant on segments I–VII, particularly medially, becoming less frequent anteriorly. Loculate pores each with mainly 5 loculi; frequent in segmental bands throughout. Anal lobes absent. Anus unclear, apparently ventral, but with a V-shaped sclerotised structure; without setae or pores; with a pair of long, flagellate setae on each side of anus; anal area without microtubular ducts but loculate pores abundant. Margin. Poorly defined. Venter. Setae clearly hairlike and flagellate. Macrotubular ducts different in structure to those on dorsum; apparently restricted to abdomen. Microtubular ducts similar to those on dorsum; very sparse. Cruciform pores absent. Loculate pores each with mainly 5 loculi, in broad, dense bands across abdominal segments III–VIII; much sparser elsewhere. Antennae probably 6 segmented but segmentation obscure. Frontal lobes absent but antennal tubercles present. Mouthparts with a pair of large sclerotised, winglike apodemes arising anteriorly from tentorial box, plus 2 even larger unstained (presumably less sclerotised) "wings" anterolaterally; labium probably 2 segmented; basal segment with 1 pair of setae. Legs moderately well developed; each hind coxa slightly swollen, with a few translucent pores and transverse rows of microspinules; femur slightly swollen and misshappen, perhaps with a few pore-like areas dorsally; tibia each with 3 setae and a few pale pore-like areas; tarsi each with 3 setae; claws each with 1 digitule slightly broader than other and both longer than claw; each claw with a strong denticle near apex. Vulva present between segments VII and VIII.

Known from Myrtaceae and Thymeliaceae.

Comment: Tectococcus is a monotypic genus known only from Brazil. Adult female and adult male recently redecribed by Vitorino et al. (2000), along with some details of its biology.

Adult female Tectococcus can be separated from those of other South American eriococcids by the following combination of characters: (i) abdomen rather pointed, without anal lobes; (ii) macrotubular ducts on dorsum and venter of different structure; (iii) macrotubular ducts and loculate pores abundant on both dorsal and ventral surfaces of abdomen; (iv) loculate pores present throughout; and (v) anus without pores or setae.

Figures

FIGURE 42. Tectococcus ovatus Hempel. Adult female, where A = dorsal spinose seta; B = dorsal microtubular duct; C = dorsal loculate pore; D = dorsal macrotubular duct; G = dorsal view of anal area; H = ventral view of anal area; J = ventral seta; K = ventral microtubular duct; L = ventral loculate pore; M = ventral macrotubular duct; V = antenna with frontal lobe, and W = metathoracic leg.