Asterodiaspis, 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 : 21-23

Genus ASTERODIASPIS Signoret

Asterodiaspis Signoret, 1877 : ccix. Type species: Aonidia ilicicola Targioni Tozzetti (= Asterodiaspis ilicicola (Targioni Tozzetti)) by subsequent designation by Russell (1941: 109).

Diagnostic characters of the adult female: Slide-mounted, body with relatively large 8-shaped pores distributed in a single marginal row, terminating at about one pore’s length anterior to base of each apical seta; 8-shaped pores absent from venter. Anal opening ventral, with margin sclerotized, normally bearing 2 setae; sclerotized anal bar or plate absent. Submedian dorsal tubes absent from near apex of abdomen.

Comments: Worldwide, 26 species are included in Asterodiaspis ( García Morales et al. 2016) ; three species are known from Iran ( Moghaddam 2013).

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

1(0) Dorsal 8-shaped pores present................................................................ bella (Russell)

- Dorsal 8-shaped pores absent............................................................................ 2

2(1) Ventral multilocular disc-pores in 3 rows, numbering 6–8 (very rarely up to 13)....................... minor (Russell)

- Ventral multilocular disc-pores in 4 rows, numbering at least 23................................ quercicola (Bouché)