Ceroplastes stenocephalus De Lotto, 1961

Hodgson, Chris J. & Peronti, Ana L. B. G., 2012, 3372, Zootaxa 3372, pp. 1-265 : 159-161

Ceroplastes stenocephalus De Lotto

( Fig. 72; Map fig. 105)

Ceroplastes stenocephalus De Lotto, 1961: 320 .

Gascardia stenocephala (De Lotto) ; De Lotto, 1965: 206.

Material examined: Paratype ♀, Kenya, Magadi , 6.x.1957, Acacia sp. , G. De Lotto ( BMNH): 2/2 (good) .

Note. Data given in brackets from De Lotto (1961).

Unmounted material. "Tests crowded and fused together so as to form an indistinct mass of creamy-yellow wax, suffused with a pinkish tinge; wax rather hard." ( De Lotto, 1961: 320).

Mounted material. Body roundly oval and convex, with distinct, quite deep, stigmatic clefts; dorsum without lateral tubercles. Caudal process large but probably not very convex, set almost medially on dorsum. Body length 2.2–2.25 (1.9–2.5) mm, width across abdomen 2.07–2.08 (1.8–2.4) mm; caudal process 0.87–1.0 mm long and 1.17–1.23 mm wide.

Dorsum. Derm membranous except for caudal process which is heavily sclerotised; without obvious clear areas but dorsal setae and loculate microducts sparse where these areas would be expected. Dorsal setae each sharply spinose, length at least twice width of basal socket, length 10–15 µm; basal socket width 5–7 µm; present sparsely throughout. Dorsal pores: (i) loculate microducts of complex type, each with 1–4 satellite loculi; those with 3 satellite loculi most abundant, each about 4–5 µm wide, generally clearly smaller than width of basal socket of dorsal setae; those with 2 loculi significantly less frequent; those with 1 satellite loculus only occasional and those with 4 loculi rare; microducts frequent throughout but each “clear area” with a sparse covering of pores with 1 or no satellite loculi; wax-plate lines not detected; and (ii) simple microducts with sclerotised pore about 1–2 µm wide, with a similar distribution to loculate microducts but also present very sparsely along margins. Preopercular pores: 24 or 25 present in a narrow transverse band about 2–3 pores deep. Anal plates together rather rounded; length of plates 150 (150–175) µm, combined widths 170 µm; each with 3 long dorsal setae, that nearest outer margin about 110 µm long; apical setae all missing. Anogenital fold with 9 setae along anterior margin, longest laterally, about 30 µm long; and with 1 shorter seta on each lateral margin ventrally. Anal tube very short, only about 2/3rds length of anal plates; anal ring setae each about 115 µm long.

Margin. Marginal setae stoutly setose, each about 17–23 µm long; present in a broad, sparse band except in stigmatic clefts; some clefts have 1 or more much larger, more spinose, marginal setae, up to about 35 µm long; each anal lobe with 1–3 slightly longer setae, longest about 35 µm long. Stigmatic clefts quite deep, each with a compact group of rather narrow, sharply-conical setae extending in a broad group onto dorsum; each group with about 100 (80–110) setae, all similar in size, each 13–20 µm long and 7.5–9 µm wide at base, pointed, with rather straight sides. Eyespots each about 25 µm wide.

Venter. Derm entirely membranous. Pregenital disc-pores abundant around genital opening (segment VII) and across segments VI and V, plus 1 or more generally present medially on IV and III; absent more anteriorly. Spiracular disc-pores each mainly with 5 loculi but those nearest margin larger with more loculi; present in bands of about 75 pores, each band sparse and narrow near spiracles but broadening and pores becoming denser near margin; with a few extending medially past peritreme, which tend to have more loculi. Ventral microducts showing nothing distinctive. Ventral tubular ducts absent in cephalic region; anogenital region covered by sclerotised caudal process and so presence hard to determine but 1 duct definitely located, with outer ductule about 10–12 µm long, associated with anogenital fold between segments V and VI. Submarginal setae each 14–17 µm long, set some distance in from margin.

Antennae each with 7 or 8 segments, when 7, generally with pseudo-articulations in segment IV; total length 295–325 (300–335) µm. Clypeolabral shield about 175–185 µm long. Spiracles: width of peritremes 50–60 µm. Legs well developed, each with a distinct tibio-tarsal sclerosis; each claw with hint of a denticle; claw digitules both broad and subequal to or slightly longer than tarsal digitules; dimensions of metathoracic legs (µm): coxa 150–157; trochanter + femur 195–200 (180–220); tibia 145–157; tarsus 100–105 (tibia + tarsus 230–250), and claw 33.

Discussion. The adult female of C. stenocephalus is very distinctive, with the broad group of densely packed, narrow, sharply-conical setae in each stigmatic cleft. Other diagnostic characters are: (i) the size and position of the caudal process; (ii) the absence of clear areas on the dorsum; (iii) dorsal setae quite large and sharply-spinose; (iv) antennae 7 or 8 segmented; (v) loculate microducts smaller than width of basal socket of dorsal setae, and (v) ventral tubular ducts absent from cephalic region.

This description differs slightly from the original description ( De Lotto's (1961) characters in brackets) in having: (i) dorsal pores with 1–4 satellite loculi (only 2 or 3); (ii) some antennae apparently 8 segmented (7 segmented); (iii) ventral tubular ducts at least sometimes present on the abdomen (absent), and (iv) claws with a hint of a denticle (absent in figure).

C. stenocephalus is only known from the original collection from Kenya on Acacia sp. (Fabaceae) .