Melanaspis greeni ( Leonardi) 1914

Smith-Pardo, Allan H., Evans, Gregory A. & Dooley, John W., 2012, A review of the genus Chrysomphalus Ashmead (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Diaspididae) with descriptions of a new species and a new, related genus, Zootaxa 3570, pp. 1-24 : 18

Melanaspis greeni ( Leonardi) 1914 , stat. rev.

Fig. 20

Chrysomphalus greeni Leonardi, 1914 . Type material: Syntype: female. Type locality: Guinea (Conakry), UNINA (examined). Melanaspis greeni (Leonardi) ; Lindinger 1943: 147. Change of combination.

Chrysomphalus greeni Leonardi ; Borchsenius 1966: 290. Revived combination.

Host: unknown.

Distribution: Afrotropical: Guinea.

Discussion: Leonardi (1914) described Chrysomphalus greeni from specimens found on an unknown plant in Guinea. Lindinger (1943) transferred the species to Melanaspis , and later Borchsenius (1966) transferred it back to Chrysomphalus . Upon our request, Professor Antonio Pietro Garonna, curator of the insect collection of the Department of Entomology in Portici, Italy, kindly arranged for the loan of specimens of the type series. Unlike the pygidium of Chrysomphalus species, which lack a series of short paraphyses anterior to L3 and have conspicuous, long, branched or clubbed plates between L2 and L3 and anterior to L3, the pygidium of C. greeni is similar to that of Melanaspis in that: (i) the lateral margin is sclerotized with a series of short paraphyses anterior to L3 and (ii) the plates are short, spine-like and inconspicuous, not exceeding the length of the lobes. Relatively few species of Melanaspis have perivulvar pores, including this species. In the key of Deitz and Davidson (1986) to the North American species of Melanaspis , M. greeni would key out to and is most similar to Melanaspis ponderosa Ferris 1941 , especially in the size and shape of the paraphyses. Of the Afrotropical species of Melanaspis , M. greeni comes closest to Melanaspis sansevii Mamet 1959 , a species described from Madagascar on a crucifer, which has perivulvar pores and paraphyses similar to those of M. greeni . Peculiarly, L1–L3 of M. greeni each has a wide basal sclerosis similar to those observed in Pygidiaspis cedri Green 1915 ; whereas the basal scleroses are normally restricted to the median lobes.

Figures

FIGURE 20. Adult female from type series of Melanaspis greeni (Leonardi, 1914): a. photograph of female habitus, b. illustration of female habitus (left dorsal view, right ventral view), c. photograph of pygidium, d. illustration of pygidium.