Paralecanium maculatum Takahashi, 1950

Chris J. Hodgson & Douglas J. Williams, 2018, Revision of the soft scale genus Paralecanium (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) with the introduction of three new genera and twenty new species, Zootaxa 4443 (1), pp. 1-162 : 109-111

Paralecanium maculatum Takahashi rev. comb.

( Fig. 45 )

Paralecanium maculatum Takahashi, 1950a , 71. Type data: INDONESIA: Riau Islands, host-plant not indicated. Syntypes, female. Type depository: EIHU, Sapporo, Japan .

Platylecanium maculatum ; Ali, 1971, 41. Change of combination.

Material examined. Holotype f: INDONESIA, Riouw Is., Rampang (almost certainly Riau Is, Kempang), no host, Jan. 1946, R. Takahashi ( EIHU, Sapporo, Japan): 1/1adf (fg).

Note. The description is based on the single available specimen.

Slide-mounted adult female. Body oval, more pointed anteriorly than posteriorly; venter somewhat asymmetrical. Length 2.05 mm, width 1.4 mm.

Dorsum. Derm fairly uniformly sclerotised, with moderately large areaolations throughout, otherwise smooth without minute pale spots. Marginal radial lines obscure but positions indicated by distribution of pores and setae, with 11 lines anteriorly between anterior stigmatic clefts, a line from each cleft, each side with 3 lines between clefts and 11 on abdomen. Abdominal clear areas not apparent. Dorsal setae each rather short, stout, parallel-sided and blunt, 6.5–7.0 µm long; frequent submarginally within radial lines but absent more medially. Dorsal pores of 3 sizes present: (i) large dorsal pores, each 4.5–5.5 µm wide without obvious micropores, present more or less throughout apart from in a fairly wide marginal band, with about 37–48 pores; (ii) smaller simple pores, each about 2.0 µm wide, sparsely present throughout, and (iii) a minute pore, appearing as a clear spot about 1 µm wide; all three pore types perhaps in a sparse polygonal pattern. Anal plates with anterior border subequal to posterior border, slightly longer than wide, each with 1 seta in middle of each plate and?1 short setae along outer margin near apex, plus 1 small pore medially; length of plates about 100 µm, combined width about 75 µm. Anogenital fold with 1 pair of small setae along anterior margin, each lateral margin with 1 seta at anterior end and another at posterior end.

Margin. Marginal ornamentation represented by a series of 5–7 small, radial sclerotised blocks between marginal setae. Marginal setae fan-shaped, mostly clearly wider than long; width of each 25–35 µm, length 20–25 µm; with about 55 setae anteriorly between anterior stigmatic clefts, each side with 17–21 between stigmatic clefts, and 47–50 along abdominal margin. Stigmatic clefts rather shallow, each with a narrow opening, apparently without a sclerotised inner margin and with a single stigmatic spine; each spine 18–20 µm long, parallel sided with a blunt apex. Eyespots each more or less round; width of socket 25–28 µm; diameter of lens 16–17 µm.

Venter. With a broad dark marginal border, about 105–165 µm wide, with dark radial fingers. Multilocular discpores hard to discern but present in bands on either side of genital opening and on preceding 2 segments, each side with possibly 7 on abdominal segment VII, 15 on segment VI and 1 or 2 on segment V. Spiracular disc-pores present in a narrow band between margin and each spiracle, with 18 in each anterior band and 19–25 in each posterior band. Ventral microducts minute, present at least near mouthparts but probably present throughout. Ventral setae: pairs of longer setae medially in abdominal segments V–VII, otherwise not visible. Antennae well developed, each with 6 segments; total length of each about 270 µm; apical segment 60–65 µm long; apical seta about 18 µm long. Clypeolabral shield small, about 85 µm long. Spiracles small; width of each peritreme 13–16 µm. Legs well developed; dimensions of hind leg (µm): coxa 75–80, trochanter + femur 110–115, tibia + tarsus 108–112 (some with a hint of segmentation); claw 10–12. Tarsal digitules slightly longer than claw digitules, with capitate apices; claw digitules both broad but one possibly slightly narrower than other; claw without a denticle; setal distribution: coxa 5; trochanter 1; femur 2; tibia 1 and tarsus 3.

Comments. Of the Paralecanium species which have only a single stigmatic spine in each spiracular cleft, adult female P. maculatum are most similar to those of P. acinaces , described as new above, but differ most obviously in the shape and size of the dorsal setae, those on P. maculatum being rather short, stout and very blunt whereas those on P. acinaces are at least twice as long, with a sharp apex, and often appear blade-like. These two species also differ in (character-states for P. acinaces in brackets): (i) the large dorsal pores numbering about 40 per side (fewer than 25); (ii) the dorsal setae are not thought to extend into the submedial area (present in the submedial area), and (iii) the form of their marginal ornamentation.

Host-plant. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 45. Paralecanium maculatum Takahashi, adult female.