Formicococcus simplicior (Green)

Joshi, Sunil, Gupta, Ankita, Shashank, P. R., Pai, Sachin G., Mohan, M., Rachana, R. R., Dubey, Vinod Kumar, Sandeep, Angalakuditi & Deepthy, K. B., 2022, Recent adventive soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) and mealybugs (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae) in India, Zootaxa 5194 (2), pp. 213-232 : 227-228

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5194.2.4
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DA49F564-620C-46E1-839A-D4A3B0136B3B
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7148821
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/432D5F6B-FFBD-FFA3-6BAC-FBCE2B84FEF2
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Formicococcus simplicior (Green)
status

Treatment

Tylococcus simplicior Green 1922: 369 View in CoL .

Farinococcus simplicior Green 1937: 289 View in CoL ; Ben-Dov 1994: 162.

Paraputo simplicior Tang 1992: 311 View in CoL .

Formicococcus simplicior Williams 2004: 313 .

Material examined: INDIA, Kerala, Wayanad, Meenangadi, N 11.6596°, E 76.1726°, on Theobroma cacao L. ( Malvaceae ), 15. ix.2020, Sachin G. Pai coll., 25 ♀♀.

Appearance in life ( Fig. 1f View FIGURE 1 ): The females are attached to the host tenaciously. Adult female broadly oval, strongly convex above and very flat ventrally, coated dorsally with very fine, dense white powdery wax. Margin with a fringe of fine white wax filaments that tend to merge; the filaments become shorter towards head.Appendages transparent pinkish brown. Eggs and early instars pink.

Diagnosis of slide-mounted adult female (n=25): Body oval to almost circular ( Fig. 8q View FIGURE 8 ). Anal lobes well developed ( Fig. 8a View FIGURE 8 ), ventral surface of each lobe with stout apical seta ( Fig. 8b View FIGURE 8 ) and an anal lobe bar. Antennae (Fig. c) each with 8 segments.

Dorsum: With numerous stout flagellate setae ( Fig. 8m View FIGURE 8 ). Ostioles well developed ( Fig. 8h View FIGURE 8 ), with inner edges of lips sclerotized, each lip bearing 4 or 5 setae and a few trilocular pores. Anal ring situated near apex of abdomen. Cerarii basically numbering 18 pairs. Anal lobe cerarii each usually containing 7 or 8 long slender conical setae in a compact group ( Fig. 8i View FIGURE 8 ), together with a few auxiliary setae and trilocular pores on a membranous area. Penultimate cerarii ( Fig. 8j View FIGURE 8 ) and more anterior cerarii similar to anal lobe cerarii but cerarian setae often with flagellate tips. Preocular cerarii ( Fig. 8k View FIGURE 8 ) sometimes absent or, when present, situated very close to frontal cerarii ( Fig. 8l View FIGURE 8 ) and sometimes merging with them.

Venter: With normal flagellate setae ( Fig. 8n View FIGURE 8 ), thinner but often slightly longer than dorsal setae. Legs well developed, stout ( Fig. 8d View FIGURE 8 ), claw stout and curved ( Fig. 8e View FIGURE 8 ). Translucent pores conspicuous, present on anterior and posterior surfaces of hind coxa ( Fig. 8f View FIGURE 8 ), but not detected on femur or tibia. Circulus present ( Fig. 8g View FIGURE 8 ). Multilocular disc pores ( Fig. 8o View FIGURE 8 ) present in bands across medial areas and in submarginal groups on abdominal segment V and posterior segments, including anal lobes. Oral collar tubular ducts ( Fig. 8p View FIGURE 8 ) minute, sparsely present across medial areas of abdominal segments VI and VII.

Comparison: Williams (2004) provided a description and illustration; he reported the presence of translucent pores on the posterior surface of hind tibia, however, none of the specimens examined in this study possessed translucent pores on either surface of the hind tibia. In this study we regard these morphological differences as simple variations within the species.

Ecological notes: Formicococcus simplicior was previously known only from Sri Lanka, infesting an indeterminate plant and attended by Oecophylla smaragdina ants ( Green 1922; Williams 2004). In the present study it was recorded on economically important T. cacao , which is grown in all the south Indian states (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu), so it is likely to spread at least in the southern parts of India. The mealybugs were collected from the carton shelters of an ant, Crematogaster rogenhoferi Mayr ( Fig. 6o View FIGURE 6 ), on branches of a cacao tree.

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Class	Insecta
Order	Hemiptera
Family	Pseudococcidae
Genus	Formicococcus