Callococcus leptospermi (Maskell)

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 : 74-77

Callococcus leptospermi (Maskell) ( Fig. 26 )

Sphaerococcus leptospermi Maskell 1894, 92–94 . Type data: Australia, New South Wales, Sydney , on Leptospermum laevigatum, Froggatt. Holotype, female. Type depositories: NZAC and BMNH.

Callococcus leptospermi (Maskell) ; Morrison & Morrison 1927, 13. Change of combination.

Material examined. South Australia, Loftia Park, on Leptospermum sp., March/ April 1980, R.B. Coles ( ANIC): 8/22 ad ♂♂ in varying conditions, most missing either some legs, antennae, wings or combinations of these, and with the abdomen twisted and crumpled; otherwise in fair to poor condition).

Unmounted material: “Pink to red in life; macropterous, wings transparent and iridescent” ( Coles et al., 1988).

Mounted material: small, with a long telescoping abdomen, capable of considerable extention; total body length, when abdomen not extended, perhaps 1.3 mm long, but when abdomen extended 2.3–2.5 mm; antennae short, about half total body length when abdomen not extended; body with very few setae; fleshy setae (fs) absent on body (apart from on penial sheath) but rather short and stout on antennae; without pores of any sort.

Head: approximately round to oval in dorsal view; width across genae 200–212 μm; length of head 165–175 μm. Median crest represented only by an area of light sclerotisation with no reticulations; with 3–6 pairs of hs dorsal head setae (dhs); postoccipital ridge (por) distinct, broadening laterally with anterior and posterior arms. Mid-cranial ridge: dorsal ridge absent; ventral ridge (vmcr) represented by a short area of sclerotisation extending ventrally and with a pair of distinct lateral arms (lmcr), but these not reaching antennae; with 1 or 2 hs ventral mid-cranial ridge setae (vmcrs) on either side anterior to ocular sclerite. Genae (g) not reticulated but each with 1–4 short hs genal setae (gs) laterad to postoccipital ridge. Eyes: with two pairs of round simple eyes; dorsal eyes (dse) subequal in size to ventral eyes (vse), each 30–33 μm wide; ventral eyes quite far forward, approximately level with dorsal eyes. Ocelli (o) quite large, convex and placed laterally, each 12 μm wide; not nearly touching postocular ridge (pocr) posteriorly. Ocular sclerite (ocs) with slight indications of concentric striations or ridges around eyes and ocelli. Preocular ridge (procr) extremely short, represented only by an articulatory sclerite and short arms extending posteriorly. Postocular ridge (pocr) strongly developed ventrally but not extending onto dorsal surface. Dorsal ocular setae absent. Ventral head setae (vhs): 3–5 hs in a transverse line anterior to ventral eyes. Preoral ridge (pror) possibly absent. Cranial apophysis (ca) looking very like a preoral ridge but with small apophyses at each end.

Antennae: eight segmented and filiform; length 650–675 μm long (ratio of total unextended body length to anten- nal length 1:0.5). Scape (scp): 36–42 μm long, 53–55 μm wide, with 1 hs ventrally and 2 mediolaterally. Pedicel (pdc): length 58–60 μm, width 40–45 μm; with many concentric ridges over all of segment; with 5–8 fs + 4–8 hs + 1 campani- form pore. Segments III–V all more or less parallel-sided, about 26 μm wide; other segments broadest at distal end, up to 24–27 μm wide; fs about 20 μm long, mostly subequal in length; lengths of segments (μm): III 116–125; IV 61–80; V 100–110: VI 83–95, and VII 75–83; approximate number of setae and sensilla per segment: III 11–13 fs, 1–3 hs + 2 sensilla basiconica; IV 8–12 fs + 1–3 hs; V 16–17 fs, 1 or 2 (rather long) + 3 or 4 capitate setae (caps); VI 13 fs, 1 or 2 hs + 3 or 4 caps, and VII 10–12 fs, 1 or 2 hs, 3 or 4 caps + 1 bristle. Segment VIII elongate, slightly constricted halfway along length: length 75–77 μm; with 4 caps, 7 fs, 0–2 hs + 3 long, well-developed antennal bristles (ab) + 2 smaller ab; with 1 sensilla basiconica.

Thorax. Prothorax: pronotal ridge (prnr) well developed and meeting medially on dorsum; lateral pronotal sclerites (prn) distinct, each with faint ridging; without lateral pronotal setae. Medial pronotal and post-tergital setae apparently absent. Post-tergites present. Sternum (stn 1) not sclerotised and without radial striations; transverse ridge well developed and sclerotised, with what appears to be small apophyses (stn 1 a) at each end; median ridge absent; with 0 or 1 pair hs prosternal setae (stn 1 s). Proepisternum + cervical sclerite (pepcv) showing nothing distinctive. Anteprosternal setae and antemesospiracular setae absent.

Mesothorax: prescutum (prsc) more or less quadrate, 83–92 μm long, 91–116 μm wide; sclerotised, with very slight indications of some nodulations on some specimens; prescutal ridges (pscr) well developed; prescutal suture (pscs) absent or represented by slight striations; prealare (pra) and triangular plate (tp) well developed. Scutum (sct): median area sclerotised, 53–60 μm long, with 1 or 2 pairs hs posterior to prescutum plus 1 or 2 pairs laterally; antero- lateral margins slightly striated; prealare ridge (prar) weak. Scutellum (scl) 130–140 μm wide, 40–47 μm long; with an inverted U-shaped scutellar ridge (sclr) and a large foramen; scutellar setae (scls): 1 pair hs on anterior margin; posterior notal wing process (pnp) quite long, diagonal and heavily sclerotised. Basisternum (stn 2) 161–212 μm wide, 120–125 μm long; median ridge absent; bounded anteriorly by a moderately strong marginal ridge (mr) and posteriorly by strong precoxal ridges (pcr 2); without basisternal setae (stn 2 s); lateropleurite (lpl) possibly quite broad with a thin extension along anterior border from marginal ridge; furca (f) well developed, with a narrow base and narrow-waisted, arms divergent and extending almost to anterior marginal ridge. Mesopostnotum (pn 2) well developed; postnotal apophysis (pna) well developed; opening of apophyses round. Area bounded anteriorly by scutellum and laterally and posteriorly by mesopostnotum not sclerotised. Mesepisternum (eps 2) not reticulated; subepisternal ridge (ser) strongly sclerotised. Postalare (pa) well developed; without postalare setae and not reticulated anteriorly. Mesothoracic spiracle (sp 2): width of peritreme 19–23 μm. Postmesospiracular setae (pm 2 s): with 2–4 posterior to each spiracle and with 5–8 medially. Tegula (teg) present; with 2–7 hs tegular setae (tegs) on each side.

Metathorax: metapostnotum not sclerotised; with 1 or 2 pairs of hs metatergal setae (mts) medially and 1 or 2 hs dorsospiracular setae (dss) on each side. Dorsal part of metapleural ridge absent; ventral part of metapleural ridge (plr 3) short; precoxal ridge (pcr 3) present, extending medially; metepisternum (eps 3) slightly sclerotised, without postmetaspiracular setae. Metepimeron (epm 3) sclerotised but without setae.Antemetaspiracular setae absent. Metathoracic spiracle (sp 3) small: width of peritreme 21 μm. Metasternum (stn 3) membranous, perhaps with small membranous metasternal apophyses (stn 3 a); with 5 hs anterior metasternal setae (amss) and 4–6 hs posterior metasternal setae (pmss).

Wings: hyaline, perhaps 1000–1050 μm long, 300 μm wide (ratio of length to width 1:0.29; ratio of total body length (not extended) to wing length 1:0.79); alar lobe, alar sensoria and alar setae absent. Hamulohalteres absent.

Legs: legs subequal in length. Coxae (cx): I 95; II 75–80; III 82–87 μm long; with 3 or 4 hs on each coxa III; long apical seta on each coxa about 25 μm long (but absent or missing on some coxae). Trochanter (tr) + femur (fm): I 174–183; II 165–170; III 169–178 μm long; trochanter III with 4 hs; campaniform pores roundish and in a diagonal line; long trochanter seta 56 μm; femur III with about 8 hs. Tibia (ti): I 161–169; II 165–175; III 165–175 μm; tibia III with a total of 11–13 setae, mainly spur-like on distal third of leg; without fleshy setae; with 2 apical spurs (tibs), length 13 μm. Tarsi (ta): I 70; II 62–70; III 68–75 μm long (ratio of length of tibia III to that of tarsus III 1:0.42); tarsi one segmented; tarsus III with 9 setae, mainly spur-like; without fleshy setae; tarsal spurs 15 μm long; tarsal campaniform pore (cp) present; tarsal digitules (tdt) slightly shorter than length of claw, with rather small apical knobs. Claws (c) quite long and thin, much longer than width of tarsi, almost straight, generally with a small denticle; length: III: 25 μm; claw digitules (cdt) distinctly longer than claw, with minute apical knobs.

Abdomen: quite long, even when not extended, but capable of considerable extension, approximately doubling total body length; with some sclerotisation medially on more posterior segments but whether on tergum (at) or sternum (as) or both unclear; pleurites all membranous, but with what appear to be elongate sclerotised ridges on either side of more posterior segments. When not extended, posterior 4 segments with at least half their length embedded within more anterior segments. Caudal extensions (ce) of segment VII absent. Setae all short hs: each segment with a band of setae, perhaps with totals per segment as follows: I 1; II–IV each with 11–14; V 15–16; VI 13; VII 7–11.

Segment VIII constricted somewhat at each end and not extending anteriorly into segment VII: tergum (at) and sternum (as) unsclerotised but with some longitudinal striations. Setae: probably all hs, with about 5 small setae each side; caudal extension (ce) absent. Glandular pouches (gp) absent.

Genital segments: penial sheath (ps) bulbous, rapidly narrowing to a sharp apex posteriorly, with a bent tip; total length 76–90 μm, width anteriorly 43–63 μm (ratio of total body length (not extended) to length of penial sheath 1:0.04); segment IX and style fused; anal opening present medially on dorsal surface; with two pairs of hs (gts) just anterior to aedeagus, each 9–12 μm long, and with 2–4 longer hs (each 15–16 μm long) + 1 short fs (4–5 μm long) laterad to aedeagus. Aedeagus (aed) short and narrowing towards apex; length 31–39 μm. Basal rod (bra) apparently absent. Penial sheath with a few small sensilla near apex.

Comment. The male of C. leptospermi has been previously described by Coles et al. (1988), probably using the same material. The present description differs from their description in the following details (Coles et al. data in brackets): (i) presence of 3 or 4 capitate setae on each antennal segment V–VIII (not mentioned or illustrated); (ii) bristles present on antennal segments VII and VIII (these are labelled fs on Coles et al. figure; it would appear that the “stouter hair-like seta common” of Coles et al. are the fleshy setae of the present description); (iii) preocular ridge absent anterior to ventral eyes (present); (iv) postoccipital ridge present medially at posterior end of median ridge (labelled on the figure of Coles et al. in position of dorsal part of post-occular ridge); (v) interocular ridge absent (atrophied inter-ocular ridge stated as present but not illustrated); (vi) structure around mouth uncertain, but here interpreted as having a stout cranial apophysis and no preoral ridge (cranial apophysis bifurcate; tentorial bridge stout); (vii) antemesospiracular setae absent (always one present), (viii) lateral pronotal setae absent (present), and (ix) penial sheath with a hook-like tip (aedeagus described as having a hook-like tip although, in Coles et al.’s figure, it is the penial sheath (style) which looks hooked).

In having a very long abdomen, the adult males of C. leptospermi are similar to those of Cystococcus and Tanyscelis , but otherwise the adult males in the latter two genera are very different.

Figures

FIGURE 26. Callococcus leptospermi (Maskell). Macropterous male. (Eriococcidae, Gondwanan group). Where A=cranial apophysis and D=fleshy seta.