Pelionella grassiana (Goux)

MOGHADDAM, MASUMEH & WATSON, GILLIAN W., 2022, The Scale Insects Of Iran (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) Part 2 The Mealybugs (Pseudococcidae And Rhizoecidae) And Putoidae, Zootaxa 5126 (1), pp. 1-169 : 84-87

Pelionella grassiana (Goux)

( Fig. 34 , distribution map Fig. 68 I )

Peliococcus grassianus Goux, 1989a: 306 .

Field characteristics: Live adult females were found living in galls caused by other insects.

Microscopic diagnosis: Slide-mounted adult female elongate oval. Antennae each with 9 segments. Legs well developed; claw with a distinct denticle; hind leg with a few translucent pores on distal part of dorsal surface of tibia. Cerarii numbering 18 pairs; anal lobe cerarii each with 2 conical to lanceolate setae, 1 or 2 spine-like auxiliary setae and 5−7 trilocular pores; other cerarii widely spaced, each with 2 enlarged setae and 1 trilocular pore, except C 3 with 3 setae and 2 trilocular pores, and C 8 and C 9 each with 1 seta and 1 trilocular pore. Circulus absent. Anterior and posterior ostioles present.

Dorsum with conical-lanceolate setae, mainly of 2 sizes: long setae similar to cerarian setae; and small setae randomly distributed among the large setae. Multilocular disc pores present in groups of 3‒5 (mainly 4), together with 2 or 3 large oral collar ducts and sometimes 1 minute discoidal pore, all arranged around a single small oral collar tubular duct at the center; clusters present on head, thorax and abdominal segments, except for segment IX.

Venter with setae of 2 types: slender hair-like setae present medially on head, thorax and abdomen; and spinelike setae present on submargin and in marginal rows. Multilocular pores of 2 kinds: (i) those each with a single ring of loculi, present in bands across abdominal segments; and (ii) pores each with 2 concentric rings of loculi, same as on dorsum, present in clusters in submarginal areas. Quinquelocular pores scattered medially on head, thorax and abdominal segments II ‒ VI. Trilocular pores evenly distributed on venter. Oral collar tubular ducts of 3 sizes: (i) small ducts, present singly at center of each multilocular disc pore cluster; (ii) large ducts, numbering 1–3 in each pore cluster; and (iii) medium-sized ducts forming rows across abdominal segments .

Distribution: Pelionella grassiana is known from France and Iran, Yazd province ( Goux 1989a; Moghaddam & Mohammadi-Khorramabadi 2015; García Morales et al. 2016).

Host-plants: The species has been recorded on Lamiaceae ( Goux 1989a) . In Iran, it has been found on Artemisia sp. (Asteraceae) ( Moghaddam & Mohammadi-Khoramabadi 2015).

Economic importance: None.

Natural enemies: None recorded.

Comments: The accompanying illustration is reproduced from Moghaddam & Mohammadi-Khorramabadi (2015), page 42, Fig. 1 , with kind permission from the Chief Editor of Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics.

Genus PHENACOCCUS Cockerell

Phenacoccus Cockerell, 1893c: 318 . Type species: Pseudococcus aceris Signoret by original designation. Phenacoccus (Paroudablis) Cockerell, 1900: 87 . Bouhelia Balachowsky, 1938: 37 . Peukinococcus Šulc 1944: 2 . Paroudablis Borchsenius, 1949: 88. Birendracoccus Ali, 1975: 279 . Giraudia Goux, 1989b: 292 .

Principal characters: Slide-mounted adult female elongate oval to broadly oval.Anal lobes normally well developed. Antennae each usually with 9 segments, sometimes reduced to 8. Legs well-developed, tarsal digitules usually acute; claw usually with a denticle. Cerarii usually numbering 18 pairs but can be as few as 3 pairs; cerarii usually each with 2 lanceolate setae but without auxiliary setae except on anal lobes. Dorsal setae short and lanceolate, never flagellate. Multilocular disc pores, when present, never grouped. Quinquelocular pores often present on venter. Circulus present or absent. Anterior and posterior ostioles present. Oral collar tubular ducts present. Anal ring complete, with inner and outer rows of pores and 6 long setae.

Comments: Worldwide, 179 species are included in Phenacoccus ( García Morales et al. 2016) ; 12 species are known from Iran ( Moghaddam 2019).

Key to species of Phenacoccus in Iran

1(0) Dorsum with multilocular disc pores present in rows across segments............................................ 2

- Dorsum without multilocular pores, except for 1 or 2 near margins.............................................. 6

2(1) Ventral quinquelocular pores numerous................................................................... 3

- Ventral quinquelocular pores restricted to a few around mouthparts, or absent..................................... 5

3(2) Claw with a denticle.................................................................................. 4

- Claw without a denticle............................................................. daganiae (Bodenheimer)

4(3) Dorsal multilocular pores numerous across all segments........................................ hordei (Lindeman)

- Dorsal multilocular pores present only on posteriormost abdominal segments.............. arthrophyti (Archangelskaya)

5(2) Hind leg with translucent pores on femur and tibia............................................. betae Moghaddam

- Hind leg without translucent pores. ....................................................... pumilus Kiritshenko

6(1) Circulus present. Cerarii numbering 13–18 pairs............................................................ 7

- Circulus absent. Cerarii numbering 3 pairs................................................ .... poae Moghaddam

7(6) Quinquelocular pores present on venter. ................................................................... 8

- Quinquelocular pores absent from venter. ................................................................. 10

8(7) Ventral tubular ducts all of 1 size.......................................................... .. insularis Danzig

- Ventral tubular ducts of 2 sizes.......................................................................... 9

9(8) Dorsal tubular ducts forming transverse rows across all segments................................ ... aceris (Signoret)

- Dorsal tubular ducts confined to margins, on abdominal segments I‒VII, meso- and metathorax...................................................................................................... transcaucasicus Hadzibejli

10(7) Ventral multilocular pores present on abdominal segments................................................... 11

- Ventral multilocular pores absent.......................................................... bromi Moghaddam

11(10) Ventral multilocular disc pores present medially on abdominal segments IV‒IX, restricted to bands across posterior edge of each segment; multilocular disc pores very rarely present on submarginal areas of abdomen and then restricted to segments VI & VII..................................................................................... solani Ferris

- Ventral multilocular disc pores present medially on abdominal segments VI‒IX (rarely also 1 or 2 on segment V), scattered across depth of segment VII between anterior to posterior margins; also usually present submarginally on some abdominal segments (about equally frequent on segments II‒VI when present).................................. solenopsis Tinsley

Figures

FIGURE 1. Generalised morphology of an adult female mealybug (including two types of ceroris, a structure found only in the family Rhizoecidae). © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, U.K.

FIGURE 34. Adult female of Pelionella grassiana (Goux).

FIGURE 68. Maps of species distributions in Iran. A. Mirococcus inermis (Hall); B. Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead); C. Paracoccus burnerae (Brain); D. Paracoccus ficus Moghaddam; E. Peliococcopsis priesneri (Laing); F. Peliococcus chersonensis (Kiritshenko); G. Peliococcus marrubii (Kiritshenko); H. Peliococcus turanicus (Kiritshenko); I. Pelionella grassiana (Goux); J. Phenacoccus aceris (Signoret); K. Phenacoccus arthrophyti Archangelskaya; L. Phenacoccus betae Moghaddam.