Palaeleurodicus indicus

Martin, Jon H., 2008, A revision of Aleurodicus Douglas (Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae), with two new genera proposed for palaeotropical natives and an identification guide to world genera of Aleurodicinae, Zootaxa 1835 (1), pp. 1-100 : 50

Palaeleurodicus indicus (Regu & David) comb. nov.

(Fig. 81)

Aleurodicus indicus Regu & David, 1992: 100 . Holotype puparium, India (Tamil Nadu) [depository not stated, not examined].

DISTRIBUTION. Oriental Region – India; Austro-oriental Region – Brunei.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. 5 puparia, Brunei, Belait District, 20 km east of Tutong, on unidentified host, 23.iii.1989 (Martin) ( BMNH) .

COMMENTS. A field note, made when the sample from Brunei (see above) was collected, described the puparial body as greenish and each puparium as secreting 10 long, white, waxy filaments; puparia were feeding under main leaf veins (personal observations). Each puparium has 6 pairs of compound pores and it therefore seems possible that it is the single pair of very large pores (that do not possess axial processes, see below) that also do not secrete waxy filaments in this species.

This curious species displays a combination of puparial characters that are typical for Palaealeurodicus (lack of submedian dorsal disc setae, lack of dorsal simple pores, lack of leg claws, and most compound pores bearing a robust dagger-like axial process). However, it also displays puparial characters that are unique within Palaealeurodicus (one pair of abdominal compound pores large and ring-shaped and without an evident axial process, puparial margin not regularly dentate but somewhat irregular, submargin with 12 pairs of setae). Thus, indicus possesses a mixture of characters that also suggest possible affinities with Aleuroctarthrus (q.v., p. 51, 52).