MONOPHLEBIDAE Signoret

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 : 161-162

Family MONOPHLEBIDAE Signoret

Morrison (1928) studied the highly diverse Margarodidae sensu lato, in which he recognized several subfamilies including Monophlebinae . Subsequently, based on the morphology of the adult female mouthparts of Margarodidae sensu lato, Koteja (1974) proposed six families including elevation of the Monophlebinae to family level. Tang & Hao (1995) also recognized the Monophlebidae as a distinct family. More recently, based on features of male morphology, Hodgson & Foldi (2006) recognised 11 families within the Margarodidae sensu lato (including the Monophlebidae ). Today the Monophlebidae comprises about 268 described species in 49 genera worldwide ( García Morales et al. 2016). The monophlebids known from Iran include four genera and six species.

Appearance in life: Members of the Monophlebidae are found on plant stems, branches and leaves, and often prefer woody hosts. Body of adult female relatively large and ovoid, up to 10 mm long or more. In life, usually covered with white / yellow / brown wax secretions, these often flocculent, but occasionally without visible wax covering, sometimes with waxy projections from the body margins. To protect the eggs, adult females of some species form a large, sculptured white ovisac beneath and behind the abdomen, or develop a hollow marsupium by indentation of the venter of the abdomen. Antennae and legs well developed and heavily sclerotized, dark brown; antennae each with 7‒11 segments; legs all similar in size ( Miller et al. 2014).

Diagnostic characters of the adult female ( Fig. 78 ): body up to 10 mm long or more, usually broadly oval: derm membranous or more-or-less sclerotized; antennae well developed, each with 7‒11 segments; legs large, all similar in size; claw digitules not reaching to tip of claw and usually not enlarged apically; thoracic spiracles large, each with a bar and with or without a cluster of pores on derm just outside opening, but always without pores within atrium; dorsal abdominal spiracles numbering 2‒8 pairs, usually visible; multilocular disc-pores present, with variety in their internal structure (of taxonomic significance); hair-like setae usually densely distributed, rarely sparse, over entire body; anal tube present, always definitely developed and dorsal in position, although sometimes situated fairly near posterior apex of abdomen, the inner end with a simple sclerotized ring with or without pores; ventral cicatrices always present; ventral marsupium present or absent.

KEY TO GENERA OF MONOPHLEBIDAE IN IRAN, based on slide-mounted adult females.

1(0) Abdominal spiracles numbering 4‒7 pairs................................................................. 2

- Abdominal spiracles numbering 2 or 3 pairs (Tribe Iceryini )....................................... Icerya Signoret

2(1) Body covered with hairs and/or spines, often of more than 1 type, not densely crowded. Antenna with 8‒11 segments (Tribe Monophlebini )....................................................................................... 3

- Body covered with short setae, finely pointed and densely crowded. Antenna usually with 8 or 9 segments (Tribe Drosichini )........................................................................................ Drosicha Walker

3(2) Abdominal spiracles numbering 7 pairs............................................ Pseudaspidoproctus Morrison

- Abdominal spiracles numbering 4 pairs.................................................... Gueriniella Fernald

Figures

FIGURE 78. Monophlebidae: Iceryini, adult female morphology, from Unruh & Gullan (2008), page 14, Fig. 1. © Magnolia Press, www.mapress.com/j/zt, reproduced with permission from the authors and the copyright holder.