Albotachardina capsella (Wang) Wang, 2007

Kondo, Takumasa & Gullan, Penny J., 2007, Taxonomic review of the lac insect genus Paratachardina Balachowsky (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Kerriidae), with a revised key to genera of Kerriidae and description of two new species, Zootaxa 1617, pp. 1-41 : 36

Albotachardina capsella (Wang) comb. nov.

Paratachardina capsella Wang, 1986: 196 .

The species P. capsella Wang fits well into the genus Albotachardina Zhang , and thus is here transferred to this genus as Albotachardina capsella (Wang) comb. nov. Albotachardina is characterized by having: (i) brachial plates usually with an elevated area or accessory projection ( Fig. 1 D); (ii) brachia membranous, fairly long and often narrow; (iii) dorsal spine present at the end of a long and narrow membranous tube ( Fig. 1 E); and (iv) the absence of perivulvar pore clusters ( Zhang 1992).

Two species are currently included in the genus Albotachardina : A. yunnanensis Zhang and A. sinensis Zhang (Zhang 1992; Ben-Dov 2006). Albotachardina capsella appears most similar to A. sinensis Zhang , with which it shares 4-segmented antennae and 16 marginal duct clusters ( A. yunnanensis has 3-segmented antennae, and 12 marginal duct clusters). Based on the descriptions by Wang (1986) and Zhang (1992), A. capsella differs from A. sinensis in the following features: (i) presence of 1 or 2 spines at the end of a group of pseudospines on the brachial plate elevation, with one lateral seta next to each group of pseudospines (no spines in A. sinensis ); (ii) pseudospines on brachial plate outside of dense group on protrusion in the form of tubularlike processes (all pseudospines on brachial plate similar in A. sinensis ); and by (iii) the usual presence of a short line of microducts lateral to each marginal duct cluster (absent in A. sinensis ). No specimens of P. capsella were available for study.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lac insect structures: A, simplex type marginal duct cluster of Kerria lacca; B, duplex type marginal duct cluster of Tachardiella; C, triplex type marginal duct cluster of Austrotachardiella; D, brachial plate of Albotachardina sinensis, arrow pointing to accessory projection (after Zhang 1992); E, long pedicel and dorsal spine of Albotachardina sinensis (after Zhang 1992); F, dorsal spine of Austrotachardia melaleuca; G, dorsal spine of A. australis; H, dorsal spine of A. acaciae; I, dorsal spine of A. angulata; J, marginal duct cluster with two associated auxiliary clusters of Afrotachardina brachysetosa; K, anal ring of Tachardina aurantiaca divided into four sections; L, anal ring of a South African Tachardina sp. divided into four sections; M, marginal duct cluster of T. aurantiaca; N – P, relative position of vdc- 1 and mouthparts in: N, P. pseudolobata; O, P. silvestri; P, P. mahdihassani; Q, typical macroduct of Austrotachardiella.