Eulecanium ficiphilum Borchsenius

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 : 62-63

Eulecanium ficiphilum Borchsenius

( Fig. 23 , distribution map Fig. 90D )

Eulecanium ficiphilum Borchsenius, 1955: 293 .

Field characteristics: Live adult female body irregularly subspherical, wider than long, with rear end perpendicular to substrate; dead adult female light or dark yellow, with brown spots, wrinkled and with numerous concavities in surface.

Microscopic diagnosis: Slide-mounted adult female body more-or-less circular; stigmatic clefts absent; anal cleft quite well developed.

Dorsum. Derm membranous in young specimens but becoming sclerotized at maturity, particularly in area around anal plates. Setae spinose, each with a well-developed basal socket, scattered throughout. Pores of 1 type present throughout. Preopercular pores absent. Tubular ducts of 1 type present throughout, each with fairly long outer ductule, and slightly shorter, narrower inner filament ending in a terminal gland.Anal plates together quadrate, each with 3 or 4 apical or subapical setae and 1 or 2 setae along inner margin. Anal ring bearing probably 6 setae.

Margin. Marginal setae of 2 types: (i) some long flagellate setae present at anterior end, and a few at posterior end of abdomen, extending onto distal anal cleft margins; and (ii) most marginal setae thick, elongate-conical, blunt and spinelike, mainly on lateral margins. Stigmatic areas each with 0–3 spiracular setae, not differentiated from marginal setae.

Venter. Derm completely membranous. Pregenital disc-pores each with 10 loculi, present around anogenital fold and forming large medial and submedial segmental clusters on abdominal and thoracic segments. Spiracular disc-pores each with 5 loculi, present in a narrow band between each spiracle and margin. Ventral tubular ducts of 2 types: (i) larger ducts, present in a wide submarginal band around entire submargin; and (ii) smaller ducts, present around mouthparts. Legs well developed, each without a tibio-tarsal articulatory sclerosis; claw lacking a denticle; claws very thick, rough, each held at 90º to tarsus; claw digitules absent or shorter than claw. Tarsal digitules slender, short, and approximately as long as claw. Antennae each with 8 segments.

Distribution: Eulecanium ficiphilum is only known from Afghanistan, Türkiye ( Turkey), Turkmenistan and Iran ( García Morales et al. 2016); in Iran, it is found in Kerman and Sistan & Balouchestan provinces ( Moghaddam 2013).

Host-plants: The species has only been recorded on Ficus spp. including F. carica ( Moraceae ) ( García Morales et al. 2016). In Iran, it has been recorded on edible fig, F. carica ( Bodenheimer 1944b) .

Economic importance: There are no records of economic damage in Iran.

Natural enemies: None recorded in Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 23. Adult female of Eulecanium ficiphilum Borchsenius.

FIGURE 90. Distribution maps of scale insect species in Iran covered in this work. A, Drosicha turkestanica Archangelskaya; B, Ericerus farsicus Moghaddam & Faghih; C, Eriopeltis festucae (Boyer de Fonscolombe); D, Eulecanium ficiphilum Borchsenius; E, Eulecanium rugulosum (Archangelskaya); F, Eulecanium tiliae (Linnaeus); G, Exaeretopus tritici Williams; H, Gossyparia spuria (Modeer); I, Gueriniella serratulae (Fabricius); J, Hadzibejliaspis stipae (Hadzibejli); K, Icerya aegyptiaca (Douglas); L, Icerya purchasi Maskell.