Kermes spatulatus Balachowsky

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 : 143-145

Kermes spatulatus Balachowsky

( Fig. 67 , Plate 4F , distribution map Fig. 91B )

Kermes spatulatus Balachowsky, 1953: 184−186 . Kermococcus spatulatus (Balachowsky) ; Borchsenius 1960: 36. Kermes spatulatus (Balachowsky) ; Pourjafari et al. 2023: 75.

Field characters (measurements from Spodek & Ben-Dov 2014): Pre-reproductive adult female oval to round, 2.0–4.0 mm long, 1.4–3.4 mm wide and 1.4–2.5 mm high; dorsum and venter dark grey to black, with 13–15 dark spots on dorsum in 8 longitudinal rows from anal opening to anterior apex. Post-reproductive female spherical and sclerotized, 5.2–6.0 mm long, 4.9–5.6 mm wide and 3.0–5.0 mm high; black, sometimes with medial longitudinal groove and each half of body with 4 transverse grooves. Venter with 2 brood chambers.

Microscopic diagnosis: Slide-mounted adult female oval to circular, 2.5–4.0 mm long and 2.0– 3.4 mm wide. Antennae each with 5 or 6 segments. Labium with 3 segments, apical segment with 4 pairs of setae. Legs well developed, each with 4 or 5 segments, tibia and tarsus occasionally fused; tarsal and claw digitules knobbed apically; claw digitules shorter than tarsal digitules. Spiracles well developed, anterior spiracle much smaller than posterior spiracle. Anal ring dorsal, open anteriorly, without setae or pores.

Dorsum with reticulated, somewhat oval areas, forming about 8 longitudinal rows. Margin with a single row of short and spinose marginal setae; also with a second, submarginal row of slender setae, each surrounded by a group of 3‒7 disc-pores, each with 6 loculi. Microtubular ducts scattered throughout. Bilocular pores numerous, scattered.

Venter with a group of 7–10 spinose setae mesad to each meso- and metacoxa; each abdominal segment with 6–8 setae in a transverse row; and with a group of 35–50 setae posterior to vulva. Tubular ducts of 2 types: (i) larger ducts forming a complete submarginal band 15–20 ducts wide; and (ii) smaller ducts on median areas of abdominal segments. Each spiracle surrounded by about 50 quinquelocular and about 5 trilocular (not illustrated) pores; also with 12–14 quinquelocular pores across each abdominal segment, and 50–100 posterior to vulva. Multilocular pores, each with 9 or 10 loculi, forming a group of 20–25 pores mesad to each spiracle; also with 3 or 4 clusters of 15–30 pores on each of abdominal segments II –VII.

Distribution: Kermes spatulatus is only known from Israel and Iran ( Spodek et al. 2014; Pourjafari et al. 2023); in Iran, it has been recorded from Kermanshah province ( Pourjafari et al. 2023).

Host-plants: The species is oligophagous on Quercus ithaburensis and Quercus spp. ( Fagaceae ) ( Spodek et al. 2014; Pourjafari et al. 2023).

Economic importance: Kermes spatulatus is of no economic importance in Iran.

Natural enemies: None recorded in Iran.

Figures

PLATE 4. Eriococcidae: A, Anophococcus abaii (Danzig); B, Rhizococcus asperulae Moghaddam; C, Rhizococcus avicennae Moghaddam; D, Rhizococcus borchsenii (Danzig); Kermesidae: E, Kermes quercus (Linnaeus); F, Kermes spatulatus Balachowsky; G, Nidularia balachowskii Bodenheimer. Monophlebidae: H, Gueriniella serratulae (Fabricius).

FIGURE 67. Adult female of Kermes spatulatus Balachowsky, from Spodek & Ben-Dov (2014), page 66, fig. 34. © Magnolia Press, www.mapress.com/j/zt, reproduced with permission from the authors and the copyright holder.

FIGURE 91. Distribution maps of scale insect species in Iran covered in this work. A, Kermes quercus (Linnaeus); B, Kermes spatulatus Balachowsky; C, Neoacanthococcus pamiricus (Bazarov); D, Neoacanthococcus tamaricicola Borchsenius; E, Nidularia balachowskii Bodenheimer; F, Orthezia urticae (Linnaeus); G, Ortheziola marottai Kaydan & Szita; H, Palaeolecanium bituberculatum (Signoret); I, Palmaspis phoenicis (Ramachandra Rao); J, Parthenolecanium corni (Bouché); K, Parthenolecanium persicae (Fabricius); L, Phoenicococcus marlatti Cockerell.