Conchaspis capensis Linnaeus 1763

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 : 134-136

Conchaspis capensis Linnaeus 1763 ( Fig. 54 )

Coccus capensis Linnaeus 1763, 17 . Type data: South Africa, Cape of Good Hope, on Gnaphalium muricatum . Lectotype, female, by subsequent designation ( Ben-Dov 1981, 147). Type depository: The Linnean Society of London, London: England.

Conchaspis phylicae Mamet 1954, 229 . Type data: South Africa, Cape of Good Hope, type-material taken from herbarium material of Phylica capitata , at Stanford University Natural History Museum, California, by G.F. Ferris. Holotype, female. Type depository: The Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis, California, USA. Junior synonym, Ben-Dov 1981, 147.

Conchaspis capensis (Linnaeus) ; Ben-Dov 1981, 147. Change of combination.

Material examined. South Africa, Duikerfontein, Clanwilliam, on Phylica odorata (Rhamnaceae) , 1.ii.2012, J. Gilliomee ( BMNH): 4/9ad ♂♂ (mainly fair-good; many missing antennae). Also, as previous, but collected 7.i.2012 ( BMNH): 1/1ad ♂ + 2 pharate adm (fair to poor).

Description made with some details taken from all specimens.

Mounted material: small, total body length 0.75–0.83 mm; body setae very few, all hs.

Head: oval in dorsal view, broadest posterior to dorsal eyes, attached to thorax by a rather broad neck; greatest width across ocular sclerite about 200 μm. Median crest (mc) absent; postoccipital ridge (por) absent; with (on each side) 3 or 4 hs dorsal head setae (dhs). Mid-cranial ridge: dorsal ridge (dmcr) and ventral ridge (vmcr) absent and without transverse lateral arms (lmcr); without ventral mid-cranial ridge setae (vmcrs) and without reticulations. Genae (g) without reticulations and genal setae. Simple eyes: two pairs; dorsal eyes (dse) subequal in width to ventral eyes (vse), each 25–28 μm wide, vse placed anterior to dse near scape. Ocelli (o) absent. Ocular sclerite (ocs) with small raised spots or ridges. Preocular ridge (procr) rather short ventrally but dorsally extending from outer margin of each antenna to anterior margin of dorsal simple eyes. Postocular ridge (pocr) strongly developed, extending laterally from near mouth to just onto dorsal surface, not nearly extending past dorsal eye. Dorsal ocular setae (docs): with 1 hs posterior to each dorsal simple eye. Ventral head setae (vhs): 2 hs on each side anterior to ventral eyes, otherwise absent. Preoral ridge (pror) and cranial apophysis (ca) not located, possibly absent.

Antennae: 7-segmented, segments III–VI quite elongate, but terminal segment shorter; total length 410–420 μm (ratio of total body length to antennal length 1:0.29). Scape (scp): 30 μm long, 45 μm wide, with 1 or 2 hs, 1 dorsal and 1 ventral. Pedicel (pdc): length 31 μm, width 25–32 μm; without ridges on distal half; with 2 hs (no campaniform pore detected). Segments III–VI much longer than broad, each 20–24 μm wide: fleshy setae, each 11–16 μm long and 2.0 μm wide; surface of each segment faintly reticulated, each reticulation rather elongate; lengths of segments (μm): III 75–86; IV 55–78; V 83–92; VI 83–92; approximate number of setae per segment: III 12 fs + 0 hs; IV 6–9 fs + 0 hs; V 11 or 12 fs + 0 hs (+ bristle?); VI 12 fs + 0 hs (+ bristle?). Segment VII shorter, length 58–60 μm; with 4 capitate setae (cap), 3–5 fs + 3 bristles (ab); sensilla basiconica (sb) not noted. Bristles similar to fs but narrower.

Thorax. Prothorax: pronotal ridge (prnr) well-developed but not fused dorsally; lateral pronotal sclerite (prn) absent; without lateral pronotal (lpns) setae. Medial pronotal setae, post-tergites and post-tergital setae absent. Sternum (stn 1) slightly sclerotised posteriorly; with a strongly sclerotised, long median ridge; transverse ridge narrow and slightly less well developed; without prosternal setae (stn 1 s). Anteprosternal (astn 1 s) and antemesospiracular setae (am 2 s) absent.

Mesothorax: prescutum (prsc) almost oval, probably convex, 90–110 μm long, 125–140 μm wide; without ridges; prescutal ridges (pscr) broad; prescutal suture (pscs) narrow; without prescutal setae. Scutum (sct) without a median membranous area, this area sclerotised but not reticulated; with 2 minute setae laterally on each side; lateral margins with some punctate markings antero-laterally; without setae. Prealare ridge (prar) quite well developed. Scutellum (scl) 180–200 μm wide, 65–67 μm long; possibly tubular, with a large foramen; without scutellar setae (scls). Basisternum (stn 2) 200–210 μm wide, 70–83 μm at narrowest point (rather spectacle-shaped); with a strong median ridge (mdr) and bounded anteriorly by a weak marginal ridge (mr) and posteriorly by stronger precoxal ridges (pcr 2); without basisternal setae (stn 2 s); anterior extension from lateropleurite (lpl) weakly developed or absent; furca (f) well developed, unusual, without a waist, with short arms (each about 50 μm long), these parallel-sided but with tips diverging. Mesopostnotum (pn 2) well developed; postnotal apophysis (pna) either absent or without an inner protuberance.Area bounded anteriorly by scutellum and laterally and posteriorly by mesopostnotum sclerotised, with raised spots or short irregular ridges. Mesepisternum (eps 2) narrow, not reticulated; subepisternal ridge (ser) short; mesopleural apophysis (pla 2) long, ex- tending internally. Postalare (pa) possibly ridged anteriorly; without postalare setae (pas). Mesothoracic spiracle (sp 2) small but with a sclerotised plate: peritreme 21–22 μm wide, muscle plate broad and sclerotised. Postmesospiracular setae (pm 2 s) absent. Tegula (teg) not located; tegular setae (tegs) absent.

Metathorax: metatergal setae (mts): 0 or 1. Dorsospiracular setae (dss) absent. Dorsal part of metapleural ridge (plr 3) present; suspensorial sclerite (ss) probably absent. Ventral part of metapleural ridge well developed; metepisternum (eps 3) with a small area showing some sclerotisation; without postmetaspiracular setae (eps 3 s) on either side. Metepimeron (epm 3) well developed but without setae. Antemetaspiracular setae (am 3 s) absent. Metathoracic spiracle (sp 3) with a sclerotised plate: peritreme 20–22 μm wide. Metasternum (stn 3) possibly slightly sclerotised; with 1 pair of both anterior (amss) and posterior metasternal setae (pmss).

Wings: well developed, each 950–1080 μm long, 425–475 μm wide; alar setae absent; alar sensoria absent (but 2 possibly found on one specimen); alar lobe present. Hamulohalteres present: 70–75 μm long, 15–18 μm wide; hamulus 55 μm long.

Legs: legs subequal in length. Coxae (cx): I 70–75; II 78; III 78 μm long; coxa III with about 5 hs; long apical setae on each coxa absent. Trochanter (tr) + femur (fm): I 185–190; II 170–182; III 180–190 μm long; trochanter III with 3 hs; long trochanter seta up to 75 μm long; femur III with about 4 hs. Tibia (ti) and tarsus (ta) fused: combined lengths: I 240–260; II 230–240; III 250–255 μm; tibia + tibia III with a total of about 20 setae, all hs and spur-like, those on ventral surface not apparently bifurcated; surface distinctly ridged at an oblique angle; without tibial spurs (tibs); tarsal campaniform pore absent; tarsal digitules (tdt) each with a small apical knob and longer than length of claw. Claws (c) rather small, with a broad proximal part, with what appears to be a short spine, claw then narrowing fairly gradually, with a well-developed denticle; length: III 20–22 μm, subequal to width of tarsus; claw digitules (cdt) slightly longer than claw, with small apical knobs.

Abdomen: segments I–VII: tergites (at) and sternites (as) probably unsclerotised. Caudal extensions (ce) on segment VII absent. Dorsal setae (ads): segments I–VII each with 2 pairs of small hs. Pleural setae: dorsopleural + ventropleural setae: I–VII each with 2 setae on each side. Ventral setae (avs): II–VII each with 2 pairs of small hs.

Segment VIII: tergite (at) + sternite (as) forming a sclerotised ring; tergite with 3 or 4 small hs dorsal abdominal setae on each side plus one rather longer seta marginally; sternite (as) without ventral abdominal setae (avs); caudal extension (ce) absent. Glandular pouches (gp) absent.

Genital segments: segment IX fused to style, distinctly sclerotised; rather narrow, about equal in width to anterior part of style (length 50 μm; width 75 μm); anal opening on dorsum distinct; setae absent. Style heavily sclerotised; broad anteriorly (width at base 70 μm), abruptly narrowing into a long needle-like posterior part; total length 480–500 μm; anterior broad section with 1 pair fairly short hs dorsally and with 1 pair of longer setae laterally where penial sheath abruptly narrows, each with a slightly capitate apex.Aedeagus very long, of approximately equal width throughout, with a shallow divided apex; length uncertain, perhaps 445 μm; basal rod 10–17 μm long. Style with a few small sensoria laterally near apex.

Comment. The adult males of C. capensis appear to differ from males of the other species in possibly possessing (i) a pair of alar sensoria and (ii) a spinelike structure on the proximal end of the claw.

Figures

FIGURE 54. Conchaspis capensis Linnaeus. Macropterous male. (Conchaspididae). Where P=spur-like seta on tarsus, R=dermal marking on ocular sclerite and T=dermal marking on abdominal tergites and sternites.