Ceroplastes rusticus De Lotto

Hodgson, Chris J. & Peronti, Ana L. B. G., 2012, 3372, Zootaxa 3372, pp. 1-265 : 48-49

Ceroplastes rusticus De Lotto

( Fig. 31; Map fig. 103)

Ceroplastes rusticus De Lotto, 1961: 318 .

Gascardia rustica (De Lotto) ; De Lotto, 1965: 204.

Material examined: Holotype & paratype ♀: South Africa, Kwazulu-Natal [as Cape Province], Hartman's Kloof , on Selago glutinosa , 15.x.1956, H.K. Munro ( BMNH): 3/4 (fair, holotype slide with cloudy Canada balsam). Also seen, a single slide with 2 specimens with same data in USNM .

Also: South Africa, Western Cape Province, Boswaarmoed, Ceres, on Selago triquetra, 2009 , J. Giliomee ( BMNH, SANC): 5/13 (fair to good).

Note. Description from type series; data in (..) brackets refer to Ceres material.

Unmounted material. “Test of fully mature adult female dried in situ, highly convex, with a shallow mediodorsal depression carrying a minute elongate white boss; colour evenly pale yellow; wax fairly soft. Dimensions: up to 8 mm long; 7 mm wide and 5 mm high.” ( De Lotto, 1961: 318).

Mounted material. Body broadly elliptical or roundly circular, without dorsal processes. Caudal process conical and small. Body length 1.4–2.63 mm (venter 1.3–2.5 mm), width 1.3–2.3 mm (venter 1.0– 1.5 mm).

Dorsum. Derm entirely membranous on young individuals, except for moderately to heavily sclerotised caudal process. Caudal process short, conical, 0.28–0.33 mm long, 0.30–0.54 mm wide (i.e., wider than long on older specimens). Derm possibly with only 4 clear areas, 1 cephalic, 1 smallish medio-dorsal and 1 very elongate and large area on each side dorsad to stigmatic clefts; posterior lateral clear areas possibly absent; cephalic clear area with a few dorsal setae. Dorsal setae rather variable in shape, mostly about as long as width of basal socket, with slightly convergent margins but some longer, narrower and more pointed; each about 3.0–5.0 µm long, subequal to or slightly longer than width of basal socket (basal socket about 4.0–4.5 µm wide); present very sparsely throughout apart from in most clear areas. Dorsal pores: (i) loculate microducts of an intermediate type but with primary loculus larger than satellite loculi; each microduct with 1–5 satellite loculi; those with 2 and 3 satellite loculi most abundant medially but pores with 1 satellite loculus most abundant around margin; each microduct about 5.0–6.5 µm wide, frequent throughout but absent from all clear areas and sometimes appearing sparser laterally where abdominal clear areas might be expected; wax-plate lines not detected; and (ii) simple microducts of possibly 2 types: (a) a microduct with an almost unsclerotised orifice, each about 1 µm wide with a long inner ductule; sparse, restricted to clear areas, and (b) a small microduct with a well-sclerotised orifice, very sparse amongst loculate microducts but absent from clear areas. Preopercular pores present in a transverse band of 9–19 pores. Anal plates: each 94–97 (100–125) µm long, combined width 87–94 (100–103) µm; each with 3 large dorsal setae (each 30–40 µm long), plus a shorter setose seta on apex, about 20–22 µm long. Anal tube short, subequal to length of anal plates or shorter; anal ring setae about 100–110 µm long.

Margin. Marginal setae short, each 8–10 (–13) µm long; with perhaps 10–15 between anterior stigmatic setae, 2–4 on each side between stigmatic clefts and maybe about 6–11 (few) on each side of abdomen; anal lobe setae possibly absent. Stigmatic clefts quite deep, each with a group of 30–40 (22–39) stigmatic setae in a compact group extending onto dorsum, each group about as long as wide; setae very variable in shape and size, each dome-shaped or conical, smallest about 6.0 µm wide and 5.0 µm long but most 8.0–10.0 wide at base and 7.0–9.0 µm long, plus 1–3 rather larger setae near dorsal margin of each group, each up to 15 µm wide and 12 µm long, some with flat apices. Eyespots rather small and inconspicuous, each about 15–17 µm wide.

Venter. Derm entirely membranous in young specimens but anterior margin in cephalic area becoming heavily sclerotised when mature. Pregenital disc-pores present around vulva and across preceding segment and then mainly submedially on each side of segments V–II. Spiracular disc-pores in bands slightly wider than peritremes but with a few extending medially past peritreme. Ventral microducts showing nothing distinctive. Ventral tubular ducts each with a short inner ductule, sometimes slightly bulbous at base; ducts arranged in sparse submarginal band interrupted only by stigmatic furrows, most numerous in cephalic area; also present medially on most abdominal segments and on meta- and mesothorax. Submarginal setae apparently very scarce, much less frequent than marginal setae but similar.

Antennae each with 6 segments, segment III with 0–2 pseudo-articulations; total length 195–210 (182–215) µm. Clypeolabral shield about 150–160 (145–175) µm long. Spiracular peritremes each 42–60 (45–65) µm wide. Legs rather small; with separate tibia and tarsus (although this sometimes obscure with tibia and tarsus appearing fused) but no sclerosis; tarsal digitules 34 µm long; claw digitules dissimilar, 1 much broader than other, each 24 µm long; each claw with a small denticle; lengths in µm of metathoracic legs: coxa 75–90 (78–108); trochanter + femur 98–105 (90–120); tibia 62–70 (70–83); tarsus 45–54 (53–65), and claw 20 (20–23).

Discussion. C. rusticus De Lotto is most similar C. deceptrix but differs in having many more ventral tubular ducts submarginally plus some ducts medially on both the abdomen and posteriorly on the thorax. In addition, on C. rusticus , the clear areas dorsad to the stigmatic clefts appear to have coalesced into one large clear area on each side and there appears to be no clear areas latero-posteriorly on the abdomen, so that there are perhaps only 4 clear areas in all; C deceptrix has the normal 8 clear areas. For further comparisons, see above under C. deceptrix .

C. rusticus , like C. deceptrix , is only known from Cape Province in South Africa where it has only been collected on Selago spp. (Scrophulariaceae) .