Porphyrophora, Brandt

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 : 147-149

Genus PORPHYROPHORA Brandt

Porphyrophora Brandt in Brandt & Ratzeburg, 1833: 355. Type species: Porphyrophora frischii Brandt, 1833 by subsequent designation of Kirkaldy 1906: 254.

Diagnostic characters of the adult female (derived from Foldi 2005): Live adult female oval, red-brown to violet, becoming coated with a white waxy secretion after mating occurs. Derm soft, flexible and hairy. Slide-mounted, body broadly oval, with both surfaces always covered by long hair-like setae and small setae; spines absent.Antennae each with 7 to 18 segments; usually antennal segment IV with a sensillum placodeum ( Figs 70 and 71P ) consisting of a small area with a group of campaniform sensilla and some setae. Mouthparts absent. Prothoracic leg strongly developed, fossorial, with wide femur and enlarged, pointed claw. Thoracic spiracles with multilocular disc-pores in atrium. Abdominal spiracles numbering 0‒2 pairs anteriorly. Multilocular disc-pores usually numerous. Anal opening situated in an area of naked cuticle, surrounded by numerous setae. Vulva opening small and membranous, surrounded by radial folds of derm; derm around vulva mostly naked. Immature cysts living attached to roots or, rarely, found on base of plant near soil.

Comments: Worldwide, 50 species are included in Porphyrophora ( Vahedi & Hodgson 2007, García Morales et al. 2016); seven species have been recorded from Iran ( Moghaddam 2013). The species are all very similar morphologically, making identification extremely difficult; in the future, use molecular analyses should help to separate and identify the species with confidence.

Key to species of Porphyrophora in Iran, based on slide-mounted adult females.

Note: The separation of Porphyrophora species is very difficult. The user may find reference to Fig. 70 helpful.

1(0) Prothoracic legs with claw short, claw length less than 1.7x basal width........................... chelodonta Vahedi

- Prothoracic leg with claw long, claw at least 2.0x longer than basal width......................................... 2

2(1) Antenna with 7–12 segments. Sensillum placodeum on antennal segment IV usually present, elongate oval / not clearly circular, normally containing 4–12 sensilla........................................................................ 3

- Antenna with 7 or 8 segments. Sensillum placodeum on antennal segment IV usually present, circular and normally containing 3‒5 (occasionally 6) sensilla............................................................................ 5

3(2) Sensillum placodeum on antennal segment IV usually present, elongate oval and containing 7–12 sensilla. Antenna with 9–12 segments, with apical segment about as long as wide.................................. cynodontis (Archangelskaya)

- Sensillum placodeum on antennal segment IV usually present, elongate oval to elliptical, containing 4–7 sensilla. Antenna with 7–10 segments, with apical segment dimensions various...................................................... 4

4(3) Antenna with apical segment much wider than long. Sensillum placodeum on antennal segment IV usually present, elongate oval, containing 4–6 sensilla................................................................. hamelii Brandt

- Antenna with apical segment as wide as or slightly wider than long. Sensillum placodeum on antennal segment IV usually present, subcircular to elliptical, containing 5–7 sensilla............................... medicaginis Jashenko (in part)

5(2) Antennal segment IV with a very long seta. Body segments on both surfaces each with dense band of long setae, except for abdominal segment I on dorsum and segment III on venter each with only a single transverse row of setae.................................................................................................... victoriae Jashenko

- Antennal segment IV with seta short or absent. All body segments on both surfaces with dense bands or clusters of long setae. .. ................................................................................................. 6

6(5) Antenna with apical segment obviously longer than wide. Sensillum placodeum on antennal segment IV usually present, circular, containing 3–5 sensilla. Antennal segment V with 1 seta of moderate length................ tritici Bodenheimer

- Antenna with apical segment as wide as or slightly wider than long. Sensillum placodeum on antennal segment IV usually present, circular, containing 3–7 sensilla. Antennal segment V with or without 1 minute seta......................... 7

7(6) Antenna with 7–9 segments. Thoracic spiracles each with 2–7 perispiracular sensilla located far from margin of peritreme. Antennal segment V without seta................................................ medicaginis Jashenko (in part)

- Antenna with 7 segments. Thoracic spiracles each with 2 perispiracular sensilla located on lateral margin of peritreme.Antennal segment V with 1 minute seta.............................................................. jashenkoi Vahedi

Figures

FIGURE 70. The antennal morphology of adult females of seven species of Porphyrophora, to facilitate comparisons between the species. The drawings are modified from the sources given in the legends of Figs 71‒77 below.

FIGURE 71. Adult female of Porphyrophora chelodonta Vahedi, modified from Vahedi & Hodgson (2007), page 41, fig. 6. P, Sensillum placodeum.