Pseudochermes fraxini (Kaltenbach)

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 : 106

Pseudochermes fraxini (Kaltenbach)

( Fig. 46 , distribution map Fig. 92I )

Chermes fraxini Kaltenbach, 1860: 259 . Eriococcus fraxini (Kaltenbach) ; Newstead 1891: 165–166. Ripersia fraxini (Kaltenbach) ; Newstead 1892: 147. Pseudochermes fraxini (Kaltenbach) ; Nitsche 1895: 1247–1249.

Field characters: Live adult female bright red or orange-red, body of mature female ovoid to more-or-less globular, about 0.75 mm long. Ovisac oval and felt-like, about 1.0 mm long, cream coloured, covering entire body. Two or more mature females may occur together within a communal ovisac ( Newstead, 1903; Kosztarab & Kozár 1988).

Microscopic diagnosis: Slide-mounted adult female body oval, about 0.75 mm long; anal lobes not developed but position of each lobe indicated by an apical seta. Antennae each with 6 segments. Legs small but well developed; each claw curved, with a denticle near apex. Hind coxa noticeably larger than anterior coxa, with a few large translucent pores. Stylet loop reaching to near apex of abdomen. Anal ring open anteriorly, forming a U-shaped sclerotized plate, with a few pores in a single row and 6 short setae. Suranal setae present just anterior to anal ring, each shorter than an anal ring seta.

Dorsum. Setae short, stiff, evenly scattered, forming transverse rows across abdominal tergites; Quinquelocular disc-pores forming transverse rows. Large macrotubular ducts fairly numerous, evenly distributed. Microtubular ducts present, short.

Venter. Setae short and flagellate, few. Small frontal tubercles ( Fig. 46F ) present just anterior to antennal bases. Quinquelocular pores scattered, forming transverse rows across abdomen. Macrotubular ducts of 2 sizes, larger ducts same as those on dorsum, present around margins only except on thorax near spiracles; small ducts each with sclerotised cup and filiform tube, sparse, present on abdominal segments only. Microtubular ducts same as on dorsum, few, present on margins.

Distribution: Pseudochermes fraxini is confined to the Palaearctic region, and is known from 32 countries ( García Morales et al. 2016); in Iran, it has been recorded from Tehran province ( Hoy 1963).

Host-plants: The scale has been recorded on host-plants in five genera belonging to the families Oleaceae , Rosaceae and Salicaceae ; in Iran, it has been found on Fraxinus excelsior ( Oleaceae ) ( Moghaddam 2009).

Economic importance: It is of no economic importance in Iran.

Natural enemies: None recorded in Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 46. Adult female of Pseudochermes fraxini (Kaltenbach), reproduced from Williams (1985), page 387, fig. 17, with permission from the author and © Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, U.K. F, Small frontal tubercle.

FIGURE 92. Distribution maps of scale insect species in Iran covered in this work. A, Porphyrophora chelodonta Vahedi; B, Porphyrophora cynodontis (Archangelskaya); C, Porphyrophora hamelii Brandt; D, Porphyrophora jachenkoi Vahedi; E, Porphyrophora medicaginis Jashenko: F, Porphyrophora tritici (Bodenheimer); G, Porphyrophora victoriae Jashenko; H, Pseudaspidoproctus hyphaeniacus (Hall); I, Pseudochermes fraxini (Kaltenbach); J, Pulvinaria aligarhensis Avasthi & Shafee; K, Pulvinaria aurantii Cockerell; L, Pulvinaria floccifera (Westwood).