Phenacoccus alibotush Gavrilov

Gavrilov, Ilya A., 2010, Descriptions of two new species of Pseudococcidae (Homoptera: Coccinea) and additions to the scale insect fauna of Bulgaria, Zootaxa 2635, pp. 32-40 : 33-36

Phenacoccus alibotush Gavrilov sp. n.

( Fig. 2 )

Adult female. Unmounted material. Live females white, covered by powdery wax.

Mounted material. Body broadly oval, about 3 mm long and 2.5 mm wide. Eyes each about 45 μm in diameter. Antennae each 8-segmented, 370–400 μm long. Legs small; trochanter + femur 200–230 μm; tibia + tarsus 230–250 μm. Coxal translucent pores absent. Claw about 25 μm long, with denticle. Claw digitules longer then claw, capitate. Tarsal digitules are not visible in both studied females. Two pairs of ostioles present. Circulus present, broadly oval. Anal ring broadly oval, about 75 μm wide, with two outer rows of spinules plus an inner row of pores. Multilocular pores each about 8 μm in diameter with 10 loculi, present on ventrum only; forming transverse rows on abdominal segments; several pores also present on metathorax. Quinquelocular pores, each about 5 μm in diameter, present ventrally around labium. Trilocular pores, each about 3 μm in diameter, present throughout both body surfaces. Simple discoidal pores, each about 3 μm in diameter, present sparsely on both surfaces of body. Tubular ducts simple, all approximately of same size; each about 10 μm long and 2.5 μm wide, forming rows on dorsal and ventral parts of abdominal segments and present sparsely on dorsal and ventral parts of thorax and head. Cerarii 15–16 pairs in number; thoracic pairs С9-С11 absent. Body setae varying from short conical to long flagellate type.

Taxomomic notes. The new species differs from other Phenacoccus spp. in the combination of the following characters: presence of 15–16 pairs of cerarii (due to the loss of 2 or 3 thoracic pairs), simple tubular ducts of one size only and the presence of a circulus. To my mind the new species is most similar to Ph. pumilus Kiritshenko , which is widely distributed and inhabits the roots of several different plants, while Ph. alibotush Gavrilov differs in the presence of a circulus, rather few dorsal tubular ducts and no multilocular pores on the dorsum.

Material examined. Holotype Ƥ: K 659, Bulgaria, Alibotush Mts., above hut Izvora, about 1000 m. alt., on roots of Trifolium sp. 1, 19.VI.2009; paratype Ƥ, the same data.

Etymology. The species is named after the type locality: the Alibotush Mts.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Phenacoccus alibotush Gavrilov sp. n., holotype.