Anophococcus insignis (Newstead)

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 : 119

Anophococcus insignis (Newstead)

( Fig. 53 , distribution map Fig. 88I )

Eriococcus insignis Newstead, 1891: 164–165 . Eriococcus saratogensis Rau, 1938: 157–159 . Anophococcus insignis (Newstead) ; Nast et al. 1990: 120.

Field characteristics: Body of live adult female elongate oval, with sides often subparallel; found on leaves of host; ovisac oval or elongate, tough, white or cream-coloured.

Microscopic diagnosis: Slide-mounted body of adult female elongate oval. Antennae each with 7 segments. Frontal lobe well developed. Legs well developed, each hind coxa with a few large translucent pores, sometimes a few present on femur also; claw with a denticle. Anal lobes conical, pointed, each lobe with apical seta on dorsum, plus 1 outer and 2 inner enlarged setae. Anal ring dorsal, bearing 8 setae. Cauda present (not illustrated).

Dorsum. Margin with enlarged conical setae conspicuously larger than other dorsal setae, each with blunt apex, numbering up to 5 on each side of each abdominal segment. Abdominal segment VII with 4 marginal setae on each side. Macrotubular ducts scattered throughout. Microtubular ducts scattered.

Venter with normal slender setae in median areas, a few enlarged setae on head margin, and stiff setae in a marginal zone from head to anterior abdominal segments. Basal labial segment with 2 pairs of short setae. Disc-pores each with 7 or more loculi in a single ring, numerous, present across posterior abdominal segments and scattered in medial area of thorax. Macrotubular ducts of 2 sizes: (i) larger ducts same as dorsal ducts, present on margins only; and (ii) narrower ducts present in median areas as far forward as head margins. Microtubular ducts present on margin. Cruciform pores present mainly in a submedian zone from head to about abdominal segment V.

Distribution: Anophococcus insignis is a Palaearctic species but has been accidentally introduced to the Nearctic and is now known from 22 countries ( García Morales et al. 2016); in Iran, it has been collected from Kermanshah province ( Shirazi et al. 2013).

Host-plants: The scale is polyphagous, having been recorded on host-plants belonging to 45 genera in 16 families ( García Morales et al. 2016). In Iran, it was found on Cynodon dactylon ( Poaceae ) ( Shirazi et al. 2013).

Economic importance: Not known as a pest in Iran.

Natural enemies: None recorded in Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 53. Adult female of Anophococcus insignis (Newstead), reproduced from Williams (1985) page 373, fig. 11, with kind permission from the author and the editor of Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology.

FIGURE 88. Distribution maps of scale insect species in Iran covered in this work. A, Acanthococcus aceris Signoret; B, Acanthococus costatus Danzig; C, Acanthococcus isacanthus Danzig; D, Acantholecanium haloxyloni (Hall); E, Acanthopulvinaria orientalis (Nasonov); F, Anapulvinaria pistaciae (Bodenheimer); G, Anophococcus abaii (Danzig); H, Anophococcus cingulatus (Kiritchenko); I, Anophococcus insignis (Newstead); J, Anophococcus kondarensis (Borchsenius); K, Anophococcus sanguinairensis (Goux); L, Antecerococcus longipilosus (Archangelskaya).