Neoacanthococcus tamaricicola 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 : 126-129

Neoacanthococcus tamaricicola Borchsenius

( Fig. 58 , distribution map Fig. 91D )

Neoacanthococcus tamaricicola Borchsenius, 1948: 502‒503 .

Field characteristics: Live adult female body oval, about 2.5 mm long.

Microscopic diagnosis: Slide-mounted adult female body elongate oval. Antennae each with 7 segments. Frontal lobes well developed and sclerotized frontal tubercles also present. Legs well developed; all coxae with spinulae, and metathoracic coxae and femur with translucent pores; tibiae each with 4 setae, tarsi each with 5 setae; claw with a small denticle. Anal lobes strongly developed, each with 3 enlarged setae and 2 microtubular ducts on dorsal surface.Anal ring strongly sclerotized, bearing 8 (occasionally 9 or 10) setae and a single row of pores. Cauda present, not very visible.

Dorsum with enlarged setae almost hair-like. Quinquelocular pores present on posterior abdominal segments. Macrotubular ducts scattered throughout, usually in segmental bands. Microtubular ducts scattered throughout.

Venter with a sparse covering of scattered flagellate hair-like setae; enlarged setae present on submargin in 2 or 3 rows. Labium large, basal segment with 2 subequal pairs of long setae. Disc-pores each with 3–5 loculi in a single ring, distributed in sparse rows across all abdominal and thoracic segments, and on head. Macrotubular ducts all of 1 size, distributed on medial areas and submargins of abdominal segments and scattered medially on thorax and head. Microtubular ducts few, present on margins (not illustrated). Cruciform pores absent.

Distribution: Neoacanthococcus tamaricicola is only known from Turkmenistan and Iran ( García Morales et al. 2016), where it was found in Khouzestan province ( Moghaddam 2009).

Host-plants: The scale has been recorded feeding on host-pants in the families Polygonaceae and Tamaricaceae ; in Iran, it was found on Tamarix sp. ( Tamaricaceae ) ( García Morales et al. 2016; Moghaddam 2013).

Economic importance: Not known as a pest in Iran.

Natural enemies: None recorded in Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 58. Adult female of Neoacanthococcus tamaricicola Borchsenius.

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.