Pseudaspidoproctus, Morrison

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 : 169

Genus PSEUDASPIDOPROCTUS Morrison

Pseudaspidoproctus Morrison, 1927: 104 . Type species: Aspidoproctus hypheniacus Hall by monotypy and original designation.

Diagnostic characters of the adult female: Live Pseudaspidoproctus are recognized by having: (i) broadly oval bodies, with dorsum strongly convex; and in slide-mounted specimens, (ii) a ventral internal marsupium where the eggs are deposited until they hatch; (iii) antennae usually each with 8‒11 segments; (iv) legs well developed, with some setae on undersides of femur, tibia and tarsus stout and spine-like; claw stout, almost denticulate; claw digitules stout at base, with slender tips (not illustrated); (v) abdominal spiracles numbering 7 pairs (not illustrated), each without disc-pores in atrium; (vi) anal tube well developed, with a rim of pores (not illustrated); (vii) cicatrices numbering 3, situated posterior to vulva; (viii) spines of body thin, elongated, with rounded apex, often curved, located on both surfaces of the body but especially numerous on dorsal surface; (ix) setae robust, of various lengths, numerous; (x) multilocular disc-pores with 1‒4 central loculi and 5‒10 loculi in outer ring; (xi) in addition to setae, numerous thin, small cylindrical spines covering both surfaces; and (xii) without elongate tubular bilocular pores at margin.

Comments: Worldwide, eight species are included in Pseudaspidoproctus Hall ( García Morales et al. 2016); the species P. gramineus and P. hyphaeniacus have been recorded from Iran ( Moghaddam 2013).

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

1(0) Dorsum with very few multilocular disc-pores, each pore with 3 central loculi............ gramineus Jashenko & Danzig

- Dorsum with multilocular disc-pores numerous, each pore with 1‒4 central loculi.................. hyphaeniacus (Hall)