Aleuroclava canangae species group

Diagnosis

Oval shaped, 1.3–1.7× as long as wide; cephalic (Cs1) and first abdominal segment setae (As1) extremely long (1.1–2.0× radius) and tuberculate and set on tubercles; vasiform orifice (vo) cordate with a cleft along the posterior margin medially; operculum filling almost the entire orifice except less so in A. indica; setae on eighth abdominal segment (As8) short 0.1–0.7× length of the vo; caudal setae (Cas) long in most species 0.5–6.0× the length of the vo and set on tubercles; tracheal furrow terminating in a pore, cleft or undifferentiated from the lateral; and dorsal tubercles and submarginal papillae often present. All of the known species in this group are primarily pale in colour (some species such as A. canangae with faint brownish areas medially) and have the dorsum entire (submarginal furrow/fold absent). Species in the A. canangae species group are most similar to Aleuroclava species that have the Cs1 and As1 setae very long, but are non-tuberculate and not set on tubercles (Table 2). Measurements were taken from illustrations of each species. The radius is measured from the junction of the longitudinal furrow on the cephalothorax and the transverse moulting suture that separates the cephalothorax from the abdomen following a straight line perpendicular to the longitudinal furrow, across half of the body to the lateral margin (Figure 3A). The distribution column shows the country from which the species was described followed by subsequent country records.