Aclerda arundinariae McConnell, 2002

Hodgson, Chris, 2020, A review of neococcid scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccomorpha) based on the morphology of the adult males, Zootaxa 4765 (1), pp. 1-264 : 200-203

Aclerda arundinariae McConnell ( Fig. 78 )

Aclerda arundinariae McConnell 1943 , 108. Type data: USA, South Carolina, Anderson , on Arundinaria tecta . Holotype, female. Type depository: USNM.

Material examined: USA, Virginia, nr. Narrows Marina Seashore, St. Park, Princess Anne Co., Arundinaria sp. ( Poaceae ), 9.v.1971, D.R. Miller and J.A. Davidson #1881 ( USNM): 2/4ad ♂♂ (in good condition).

Note: measurements in brackets taken from Nada et al. 1976.

Mounted material: total body length 1.45–1.52 (1.33–1.63) mm; width across triangular plates 0.28–29 mm; slen- der.

Head: approximately diamond-shaped in dorsal view; approximate length 164–168 μm; width across genae 214–217 μm. Median crest (mc) not reticulated; with 1 hs dorsal head setae (dhs) on each side anteriorly and an- other pair posteriorly. Dorsal mid-cranial ridge (dmcr) absent; ventral mid-cranial ridge (vmcr) represented by a very short ridge between scapes only; vmcr with a narrow, slightly reticulated border and a broader area of slight sclerotisation immediately posterior to each scape, which extends posteriorly to ocular sclerite; with 2 hs ventral mid-cranial ridge setae (vmcrs). Genae: genal setae (gs) 1 hs posterior to each dorsal eye. Eyes: two pairs of round simple eyes, subequal in size (each 25–27 μm wide). Ocelli (o) present laterally. Ocular sclerite (ocs): each polygonally reticulated, each reticulation with 1 or 2 small, sinuous, inner microridges. Postocular ridge (pocr) short, only extending about half-way to ocelli and not heavily sclerotised. Dorsal ocular setae (docs) absent. Ventral head setae (vhs): 0 or 1 hs just posterior to each scape. Cranial apophysis (ca) 87–93 μm long anterior to tentorial bridge; possibly trifurcated.

Antennae: total length 955–1023 (960–1120) μm long (ratio of total body length to antennal length 1:0.68). Scape (scp): 38–47 (32–64) μm long, 47 (48–54) μm wide; with 1 hs on ventral surface and 1 or 2 hs on anterodorsal surface. Pedicel (pdc): length 35–40 (32–64) μm, width 31–38 (28–48) μm; reticulated; with 2 or 3 hs (no sensilla placodeum detected). Segments III–X all 12–19 (16) μm wide: fs each about 25 (24) μm long; lengths of segments (μm): III 116–124 (112–128); IV 139–144 (112–160); V 136–145 (112–160); VI 116–121 (128–160); VII 117–127 (96–144); VIII 91–114 (80–112) and IX 77–106 (96–102); setae rather few, approximate number per segment: III 1 fs + 2 hs + 1–3 sensilla basiconica; IV 17–21 fs + 0 or 1 hs; V 20–25 fs + 0 hs; VI 13 fs + 0 hs; VII 10–12 fs + 0 hs; VIII 10–16 fs + 0 hs; IX 10–13 fs + 0 hs. Segment X 80–82 (78–89) μm long, with 11 or 12 fs + 3 capitate setae; antennal bristles not differentiated.

Thorax. Prothorax: pronotal ridge (prnr) well-developed, each arm broadening medially on dorsum and probably fusing medially; pronotal sclerite (prn), if present, small; without lateral pronotal setae (lpns) or convex pores (cp). Medial pronotal setae, post-tergites and post-tergital setae apparently absent. Sternum (stn 1) sclerotised, but without either a median or a transverse ridge; without reticulations. Anteprosternal (astn 1 s) and antemesospiracular setae (am 2 s) absent.

Mesothorax: prescutum (prsc) 164–167 (144–168) μm wide, 89–93 (90–114) μm long; prescutal ridges (pscr) and prescutal suture (pscs) well developed; prescutal setae absent. Scutum (sct): median membranous area 130 (120) μm wide, 37 (30–42) μm long, with 0 or 1 hs scutal setae (scuts) on each side; membranous area bounded laterally by a strongly sclerotised margin; reticulations weak or absent laterad to scutellum. Scutellum (scl) 155–174 (144–156) μm wide, 31–33 (36–42) μm long; with a small foramen; with 1 pair of small hs scutellar setae. Basis- ternum (stn 2) 186–196 (180–210) μm wide, 127–146 (144–156) μm long; with median ridge (mdr) incomplete or absent; bounded anteriorly by a weak marginal ridge (mr) and posteriorly by a strong precoxal ridge (pcr 2); without basisternal setae (stn 2 s); lateropleurite (lpl) broad, without an extension along anterior margin; furca (f) well developed, broad basally, arms more or less parallel and quite short. Area bounded anteriorly by scutellum and laterally and posteriorly by mesopostnotum lightly sclerotised with a narrow membranous area along anterior and lateral margins. Mesepisternum (eps 2) and subepisternal ridge (ser) well developed. Postalare (pa) not reticulated anteriorly; without postalare setae (pas). Postmesospiracular setae (pm 2 s) absent. Mesothoracic spiracle (sp 2): peritreme 26 μm wide, each with 2–4 disc-pores. Tegula (teg) with about 5 hs tegular setae (tegs).

Metathorax: with 1 pair of metatergal setae (mts). Dorsospiracular setae (dss) absent. Dorsal part of metapleural ridge (plr 3) absent; ventral part of metapleural ridge short; episternum (eps 3) unsclerotised, with 4–8 hs postmetaspiracular setae (eps 3 s) on each side. Metepimeron (epm 3) sclerotised but without setae. Antemetaspiracular setae (am 3 s) absent. Metathoracic spiracle (sp 3) positioned posterior to mesocoxae, width of peritreme 26–27 μm, with 2–4 disc-pores. Postnotal apophysis (pna) represented by a narrow, reticulated slit between meso- (pn 2) and metapostnotum (pn 3). Metasternum (stn 3) lightly sclerotised. Anterior metasternal setae (amss) and posterior metasternal setae (pmss) absent.

Wings: very narrow, 1.22–1.37 (1.2–1.6) mm long and 372–405 (320–688) μm wide (ratio of length to width 1:0.30; ratio of total body length to wing length 1:0.83); without alar lobe and alar setae. Hamulohalteres absent.

Legs: prothoracic legs slightly longer than other legs; with rather pronounced concentric ridges on tibia and tarsus. Coxae (cx): I 86–93 (51–90); II 80–90 (60–72); III 80–82 (42–72) μm long; coxa III with 1 fs + 4–6 hs (2 long, each 54–62 μm long). Trochanter (tr) + femur (fm): I 210–236; II 192–217; III 182–198 μm long; trochanter III with 0–2 hs; long trochanter seta: 93–117 μm, flagellate; femur III with 18–29 hs. Tibia (ti): I 238–276 (216–264); II 207–251 (210–240); III 198–223 (210–240) μm long; tibia III with a total of about 26 setae, mostly spur-like, particularly on distal third of leg; tibio-tarsal articulation with a small sclerotised area, but without a fully-developed articulatory sclerosis; apical spur (tibs): length (III) 15–19 μm. Tarsi (ta): I 117 (108–126); II 102 (96–120); III 84– 90 (90–108) μm long (ratio of length of tibia III to tarsus III 1:0.41); tarsus III with 23–33 setae, mostly spur-like; tarsal spurs (tabs) absent or barely differentiated. Claws (c) rather elongate and narrow; without a denticle; length (III) 20 (12–18) μm; claw digitules a little longer than claw.

Abdomen: tergites (at) and sternites (as) sclerotised on all segments; pleurites (ap) sclerotised only on segments IV–VII but not extending laterally to include ventral pleural setae. Dorsal abdominal setae (ads) (totals): segments I–VI each with 2 hs; VII 0 or 1 hs. Pleural setae: (on each side): dorsopleural setae (dps): II & III each with 1 hs; IV–VII each with 4 or 5 hs; ventropleural setae (vps) II 0 hs; III–VII each with 1 hs. Ventral abdominal setae (avs): II 0–2 hs; III & IV each with 1 or 2; V–VII each with 4 hs. Caudal extensions on segment VII absent.

Segment VIII strongly sclerotised and extending anteriorly under segment VII, with strong lateral ridges; with 3 or 4 hs long pleural setae, one of them 110+ (about 120) μm long. Caudal extensions absent. Small convex pores (cp) absent. Glandular pouches absent.

Genital segments: penial sheath (ps) articulating anteriorly with sternite of segment VIII; total length 212 μm long including sclerotised part of segment VIII; 64–68 μm wide at anterior end of segment VIII (ratio of total body length to penial sheath length 1:0.14). Anus (an) surrounded by a sclerotised ring. Basal rod (bra) short, 32–34 μm long. Style with parallel sides anteriorly and then narrowing to a blunt apex. Aedeagus (aed) short and broad, 49–53 μm long (ratio of aedeagus length to basal rod length 1:0.65) and approximately parallel-sided, broader than apex of style. Membranous ‘endophallus’ present.

Comment. A. arundinariae has been described previously ( Nada et al. 1976) from material collected in Virginia. The figures and description in that paper differ somewhat from that given above. In particular, their description indicates (data for current description in brackets): (i) that there were 4 capitate setae on the Xth antennal setae (only three here); (ii) no reticulation around the ventral eye (present); (iii) postocular ridge missing (present but poorly developed and short); (iv) no lateropleurite is shown (despite it being exceptionally large); (v) the tegular setae are illustrated as being on the mesepisternum (rather than on the membranous area between the mesepisternum and the scutum); (vi) a postnotal apophysis is illustrated as being present (absent here); (vii) they neither illustrate nor mention pleurites on the abdomen (distinct in above material); (viii) no mention is made of the sclerotised plate medially on the mesopostnotum (very obvious on available material); (ix) they illustrate the presence of an mesepisternum and a mesepimeron (both absent on above material), and (x) they show a glandular pouch (absent here – only otherwise known on A. distorta , described below).

However, the measurements of Nada et al. (1976) are in close agreement with those found on our specimens. The one possible exception is in the length of the mesocoxa and metacoxa which were significantly larger in our material.

Figures

FIGURE 78. Aclerda arundinariae McConnell. Macropterous male. (Aclerdidae, Aclerdinae). Where A=cranial apophysis, P=loculate pore and R=dermal reticulations on ocular sclerite.