Porphyrophora medicaginis Jashenko

Moghaddam, Masumeh & Watson, Gillian W., 2024, The Scale Insects Of Iran (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) Part 3 The Soft Scales (Coccidae) And Other Families, Zootaxa 5542 (1), pp. 1-202 : 155-158

Porphyrophora medicaginis Jashenko

( Fig. 75 , distribution map Fig. 92E )

Porphyrophora medicaginis Jashenko, 1994: 22 .

Field characteristics: Body more-or-less egg-shaped; derm flexible and soft; long hair setae rather stiff; body light to dark red ( Jashenko 1994).

Microscopic diagnosis: Slide-mounted adult female with both surfaces of body quite densely covered by long hair-like setae and small setae.Antennae each with 7–9 segments; sensilla placodeum on segment IV usually present, circular or elliptical, containing about 5–7 small sensilla; other intermediate segments naked; apical segment slightly swollen, bearing some flagellate setae, several fleshy setae and sensilla. Prothoracic legs each with tarsus fused with claw, enlarged claw without a denticle. Each meso- and metathoracic leg with long pretarsus, 1/4 length of claw; meso- and metathoracic claws generally each constricted between claw and pretarsus. Thoracic spiracles each with peritreme containing 4–7 spiracular disc-pores, and texture of membranous peritreme with a mosaic pattern of diamond shapes; perispiracular sensilla situated far from margin of peritreme in a group of 2–7, occasionally with about 2 pores fusing to form a twin pore. Abdominal spiracles apparently absent. Anterior multilocular disc-pores each with 1 even or uneven ring of loculi, each ring mostly with 9–20 loculi; pores mainly present in transverse segmental bands 2 or 3 pores wide; some (not all) posterior multilocular disc-pores tending to be larger, particularly around genital opening, each of these generally with 2 or 3 rings of loculi. Anal opening with narrow, semicircular sclerotized rim along dorsal margin, surrounded by an area of derm without setae or pores.

Distribution: Porphyrophora medicaginis is only known from Kazakhstan (Vostochno Kazakhstan Oblast) and Iran, where it has been found in Azarbaijan -e Sharghi and Kerman provinces ( Jashenko 1994; Moghaddam, 2013).

Host-plants: The species has been recorded on host-plants belonging to the families Fabaceae and Poaceae ( García Morales et al. 2016) . In Iran, the host-plants Medicago vulgare ( Fabaceae ), Cynodon sp. and Phragmites sp. ( Poaceae ) were recorded ( Vahedi & Hodgson 2007).

Economic importance: Porphyrophora medicaginis is of no economic importance in Iran.

Natural enemies: None recorded in Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 75. Adult female of Porphyrophora medicaginis Jashenko, modified from Vahedi & Hodgson (2007), page 82, fig. 23.

FIGURE 92. Distribution maps of scale insect species in Iran covered in this work. A, Porphyrophora chelodonta Vahedi; B, Porphyrophora cynodontis (Archangelskaya); C, Porphyrophora hamelii Brandt; D, Porphyrophora jachenkoi Vahedi; E, Porphyrophora medicaginis Jashenko: F, Porphyrophora tritici (Bodenheimer); G, Porphyrophora victoriae Jashenko; H, Pseudaspidoproctus hyphaeniacus (Hall); I, Pseudochermes fraxini (Kaltenbach); J, Pulvinaria aligarhensis Avasthi & Shafee; K, Pulvinaria aurantii Cockerell; L, Pulvinaria floccifera (Westwood).