Aleuroparadoxus Quaintance and Baker, 1914

García-Ochaeta, José Francisco & Dubey, Anil Kumar, 2022, Description of a new species of Aleuroparadoxus Quaintance and Baker (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) from Guatemala, Insecta Mundi 2022 (964), pp. 1-9 : 2-8

Aleuroparadoxus Quaintance and Baker, 1914

Aleuroparadoxus Quaintance and Baker 1914: 104 . Type species: Aleyrodes iridescens Bemis 1904: 487–489 , by monotypy.

Distribution. New World. Nearctic (4 species); Neotropical (14 species) (see Table 1 ).

Hosts. Various trees and shrubs ( Table 1 ).

Diagnosis. Aleuroparadoxus comprises species with the following combination of characters: puparium ovoid to slightly wider than long; cuticle usually dark brown to black with little wax secretion; margin crenulate, modified at thoracic tracheal openings; dorsal papillae present, usually with a submarginal row and others present on dorsal disc, the papillae variably developed, but generally somewhat flat, plate-like; transverse moulting suture reaching submargin; median length of abdominal segments VI and VII similar; each cephalic seta situated on the lateral apex of a superficial thumb-shaped ridge; submargin of cephalothorax with seven pairs of setae; submargin of abdomen with eight pairs of setae; vasiform orifice cordate, entirely occupied by the operculum, with its floor divided in half in most species, with posterior half often reticulate, and head of lingula lobed, but covered by operculum; with a short apical groove, defined by a pair of variably developed caudal ridges ending in a pair of caudal setae; ventrally, the tracheal folds well defined and the legs aligned mesally by a band of blunt spines ( Martin 2005).

Key to the puparia of the Aleuroparadoxus species

(modified from Garcia-Ochaeta and Evans 2020)

1. Submarginal papillae greatly elongated, bullet-shaped, each 2.1–3.5× as long as wide; nearly contiguous, with a maximum distance between each less than half (0.1–0.4×) the width of a papilla; eyespots absent................................................................ ( iridescens group) 2

— Submarginal papillae not so elongated, each 0.5–1.4× (up to 2.0× only in A. punctatus ) longer than wide, round, oval or flame-shaped, not contiguous, with a maximum distance between each 0.9–1.6× the width of a papilla; with or without eyespots................................................ 4

2(1). Thoracic spiracular opening undifferentiated from the lateral margin; submarginal papillae 2.8–3.5× as long as wide; head usually with a row of 4 large, round papillae of similar size about equidistant; body papillae large, round kidney shaped; USA (California, Nevada, Oregon); Mexico............................................................................... A. arctostaphyli Russell

— Thoracic spiracular opening differentiated from the lateral margin, like a trident; submarginal papillae 2.0× as long as wide; head usually with a row of 6 large or medium, round kidney-shaped papillae, most other body papillae large or medium, nearly round kidney-shaped...................... 3

3(2). Most of the kidney-shaped dorsal papillae are very large and round; each thoracic spiracular opening with a group of small pores; USA (California, Hawaii), Mexico........... A. iridescens (Bemis)

— Almost all dorsal kidney-shaped papillae are medium round; each thoracic spiracular opening without a group of small pores; USA (TX); Mexico; Guatemala; El Salvador; Costa Rica; Cuba.................................................................................. A. gardeniae Russell

4(1). Body elongated elliptic, 1.5–1.7× as long as wide; eyespots absent................. ( rhodae group) 5

— Body oval wider than long, 0.9–1.4× as long as wide; eyespots present or absent... ( sapotae group) 8

rhodae group

5(4). Body entirely clear, elongate oval ~1.6× as long as wide and not tapering posteriorly; very inconspicuous submarginal papillae, head with a row of 8 small round papillae equidistant from each other; submedian abdominal papillae kidney-shaped very small (about the size of a setae base and in more than one row); Panama............................................... A. chomeliae Russell

— Body sclerotized and brown or black (at least the central part), elongated oval ~1.5–1.7× longer than wide and tapering posteriorly; conspicuous submarginal papillae; head papillae variable (but not as in A. chomeliae ), median abdominal papillae kidney-shaped, greatly elongated; submedian abdominal papillae small or large and in a row..................................................... 6

6(5). Submedian abdominal papillae small round kidney shaped; cephalus with 2 groups of 3 medium-sized, almost round kidney-shaped papillae in a row, plus a pair of very small central papillae posterior to the groups (8 in total); body about 1.6× as long as wide; light color with brown central part, not thinning much after; Belize; Mexico....................................... A. rhodae Russell

— Submedian abdominal papillae medium to large round kidney-shaped; head with 7–8 pairs of large (rarely 9), elongated papillae, each up to 2× as long as wide; body about 1.8× as long as wide; uniform brown or black color, thinning much after; median and submedian abdominal papillae large elongated to round, deeply incised........................................................ 7

7(6). Head with 6–9 pairs of highly elongate kidney-shaped dorsal papillae, up to 3× as long as wide, arranged in a row; elongated median papillae on A1 much smaller than those on A2, those on A3–A6 subequal to and larger than those on A2; central part of abdomen and submedian part of thorax darker than lateral parts; Guatemala; Mexico....................... A. gabrieli García-Ochaeta and Evans

— Head with 6–7 pairs of less elongate kidney-shaped dorsal papillae, each 2× as long as wide, arranged in more than one row; median papillae rounder than elongated, on A1–A6 subequal in size; central part of abdomen, median and submedian thorax and lateral margin darker than other parts; Mexico.............................................. A. carapiai García-Ochaeta and Evans

sapotae group

8(4). No eyespots; submarginal papillae flame-shaped; small submedian kidney-shaped papillae; body oval, 1.3–1.4× as long as wide.................................................................. 9

— With conspicuous eyespots; submarginal papillae round or oval, not flame-shaped (except in A. elmarrojasi ); variable submedian papillae; body oval or round, 0.9–1.4× as long as wide............ 10

9(8). Body with a submarginal ridge on thorax and abdomen, ending in a “V” shape on rear margin; submarginal papillae 2.0× as long as wide; Chile................................. A. punctatus Russell

— Body without a submarginal ridge on the thorax and abdomen, ending in a “V” shape on the posterior margin; submarginal papillae 1.4× as long as wide; USA (AL, LA); Mexico... A. ilicicola Russell

10(8). Body oval or nearly round, 0.9–1.0× as long as wide; very dark with light spots; cephalus with a row of 8 pairs of rectangular papillae, almost glued together; submargin reticulate, abdominal segments with a single row of very small kidney-shaped papillae; Belize; Guatemala; Mexico............................................................................................ A. sapotae Russell

— Body oval, 1.1–1.2× as long as wide; brown without light spots; cephalus with round reniform papillae, not attached; submargin rough or streaked, abdominal segments with a single row of very small kidney-shaped papillae or with one or more than one row of large papillae................... 11

11(10). Body without a submarginal ridge on thorax and abdomen, terminating in a “V” shape at posterior margin, conspicuous large subcircular submedian papillae, in one or two rows on abdominal segments or over entire submedial band from cephalothorax to vasiform orifice....................... 12

— Body with a submarginal ridge on the thorax and abdomen, ending in a “V” shape on the posterior margin, very small and inconspicuous round submedian papillae, in a row on the submedian suture; cephalus with 3 pairs or less of round and very small papillae............................... 13

12(11). Submedian subcircular papillae in double rows on basal segments of abdomen; cephalus with 3–6 pairs of medium papillae in a single row; vasiform orifice widely chordate; Trinidad..................................................................................... A. trinidadensis Russell

— Submedian subcircular papillae, in a row (sometimes doubled) running from the cephalothorax to the vasiform orifice; subtrapezoidal vasiform orifice; Guatemala................................................................................ A. marisae García-Ochaeta and Dubey , sp. nov.

13(12). Anterior area of the vasiform foramen without a round structure; cephalus with 3 pairs of papillae in 2 groups; rough submarginal area; Belize; Honduras; Mexico........... A. truncatus Russell

— Anterior area of the vasiform orifice with a round structure; head without papillae, but 10–12 very small papillae present below dark suture of head; striped submarginal area; Guatemala.................................................................. A. elmarrojasi García-Ochaeta and Evans