Margarodes Guilding, 1829

Zheng, Xinyi & Wu, San’An, 2024, A review of the Margarodidae sensu stricto (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) in China, with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 5506 (4), pp. 451-500 : 452-453

Genus Margarodes Guilding, 1829

Margarodes Guilding, 1829: 118 , accepted valid name.

Margarodes (Sphaeraspis) Giard, 1894: 412 , junior synonym.

Sphaeraspis Giard; Fernald 1903: 28, change in status (level).

Promargarodes Silvestri, 1938b: 21 , junior synonym.

Acystomargarodes Bodenheimer, 1953: 152 , an unavailable name.

Type species: Margarodes formicarum Guilding, 1829 .

Generic diagnosis

Adult female: Body broadly oval; derm membranous. Antennae each 7 or 8 segmented, cylindrical; each segment with hair-like setae and sensory setae; pedicel short. Blunt spines present, anterior spines longer than posterior ones. Eyespots and mouthparts absent. Thoracic spiracles developed, each with apodeme present; each spiracle with a group of perispiracular sensilla laterad to peritreme; abdominal spiracles numbering 6 or 7 pairs; thoracic and abdominal atria all containing multilocular disc-pores. Foreleg fossorial; with short coxa, trochanter with campaniform sensilla on each lateroventral face, femur strongly developed, tarsus + claw fused, with campaniform sensilla dorsally, and claw strongly sclerotized, and bifurcate in some species. Middle and hind legs slightly smaller, each similar in structure to foreleg. Anal opening simple. Multilocular disc-pores each with inner ring of few large or small loculi, outer ring containing many small loculi.

Comments: Adult female Margarodes can be distinguished from those of other genera of hypogeal margarodids by having the following major characters (contrasting character states in Neomargarodes and/or Porphyrophora are given in parenthesis): (i) abdominal spiracles numbering 6 or 7 pairs (8 pairs in Neomargarodes , 0 or 2 pairs in Porphyrophora ); (ii) thoracic and abdominal spiracles each with multilocular disc-pores and simple pores in atrium (only thoracic spiracles contain atrial pores in Porphyrophora ); (iii) presence of spines (spines absent in Neomargarodes and Porphyrophora );(iv) antennae each7or 8segmented and slender(6segmented in Neomargarodes and 7‒18 segmented in Porphyrophora ); (v) foreleg claws each with 1 or 2 protrusions at base, or simple, without protrusions (base of foreleg claw with prominent heel and sometimes protrusions in Neomargarodes , simple in Porphyrophora ); and (vi) eyespots absent (present in Porphyrophora ).

One species of this genus has been recorded in south China on the roots of grasses.