Acanthococcus thaleri SZITA et KOZÁR, 2011

Szita, É., Benedicty, Zs., Kozár, F. & P. O, 2011, Description Of A New Species Of Acanthococcus (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) From Austria, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 57 (1), pp. 35-41 : 37-39

Acanthococcus thaleri SZITA et KOZÁR , sp. n.

( Fig. 1 )

Type data – Holotype: female, Austria, Siebenstein (near Molln vill., Kirchdorf an der Krems distr., 47°49’ N, 14°12’E, ca. 1100 m altitude) on Erica carnea, E. E. GREEN , ex. coll. No: Nat. Hist. Mus. Vienna EEG. 5/34, no. 2. Deposited in the scale insect collection of the British Museum of Natural History , coll. No: BM, 1940, 180.

Paratypes: Two females on a separate slide, Austria, Gloggnitz town ( Neunkirchen distr. , ca. 47°40’N 15°56’E), on Erica carnea, E. E. GREEN , ex. coll. No: Nat. Hist. Mus. Vienna EEG. 5/34, no. 3. Deposited in the scale insect collection of the British Museum of Natural History , coll. No: BM, 1940, 180.

Adult female.

Live appearance – Not seen.

Mounted female – Body elongate oval ( Fig. 1 ), 1.55 (1.55–2.02) mm long and 0.88 (0.88–1.04) mm wide.

Venter – Labium 3-segmented, 86 (86–91) µm long; basal segment not well developed, but with two setae on each side; median setae on apex of labium needle-like. Antenna 6 segmented, length of segments: I: 31 (30–31), II: 17 (17–25), III: 55 (55–70), IV: 14 (14–15), V: 14 (14–17), VI: 24 (24–30) µm; segment II with 1 sensory pore; segment III almost parallel sided; all segments with a few hair-like setae; apical segment with apical seta 31 (28–31) µm long; apical segment also with 3 falcate sensory setae, each 24 (24–25) µm long; two preapical segments each also with 1 sensory falcate seta: on segment IV 12 (12–14), V 14 µm long. Frontal tubercle and frontal lobe present. Eyes situated on venter near margin. Legs normal: prothoracic legs: coxa 48 (46–48) µm, trochanter 43 (43–45) µm, femur 89 (89–104) µm, tibia 72 (70–80) µm; tarsus 84 (84–96) µm and claw 24 (24–29) µm, tarsal digitules 45 µm, claw digitules (30) µm; mesothoracic legs: coxa 48 (48–50) µm, trochanter 46 (46–55) µm, femur 84 (84–105) µm, tibia 77 (77–84) µm, tarsus 82 (82–108) µm, claw 26 µm, length of tarsal digitules unknown, claw digitules (31) µm; metathoracic legs: coxae 52 (50–58) µm, trochanter 48 (48–55) µm, femur 89 (89–110) µm, tibia 79 (79–90) µm, tarsus 89 (89–102) µm; claw 29 (29–30) µm, tarsal digitules 47 (47–48) µm, claw digitules 34 µm, tarsal and claw digitules slightly knobbed. Meso- and metathoracic coxae with spinulae on anterior surface; metathoracic coxae and femur also with small pores on posterior surface. Each trochanter with two pores on each side. Claw with a denticle. Legs with a few hair-like setae, and with one sensory pore on tarsus. Tibia with 4 or 5 setae, tarsus with 5 setae. Multilocular pores each 4–6 µm in diameter and with 3–9 loculi, mostly 5, distributed in sparse rows on all abdominal and thoracic segments. Width of anterior spiracles 31 (31–38) µm. A few hair-like setae present on submedian venter. Margin with a row of truncate conical spines, each 19–29 µm long plus a band of macrotubular ducts, each 7 µm wide and18 µm long. Smaller macrotubular ducts, each 4 µm wide and 18 µm long; scattered throughout venter but most abundant submarginally. Microtubular ducts sparse submarginally and marginally. Cruciform pores sparse on submargin, each 4 µm wide. Blunt conical spines, each 17 µm long, present on submargin, forming a wide band, together with small macrotubular ducts, cruciform pores and microtubular ducts. Suranal setae hair-like.

Dorsum – Dorsal setae truncate conical spines, each 19–29 µm long, width at base ca. two thirds of its length, in rows across all segments. Macrotubular ducts each 7 µm wide and 18 µm long, associated with truncate conical spines. Microtubular ducts each 4 µm long, scattered throughout. Anal ring strongly sclerotized, oval, 53 (53–62) µm wide, 62 (62–72) µm long, with partly double rows of pores but posterior part without pores, with 4 pairs of long setae, each 74 (74–86) µm long; anal ring situated on margin of dorsum. Anal lobes well developed, membranous, each with three spines on dorsal surface, one spine stronger. Anal lobe seta 139 (139–160) µm long. Cauda not seen.

Comment – The most conspicuous diagnostic character of the species is the wide truncate conical spines on the dorsum, rare for the genus Acanthococcus . The closest species is A. devoniensis (GREEN, 1896) in the Palaearctic Region which lives on several species of Ericaceae . The new species differs from A. devoniensis by having 6-segmented antennae; dorsal truncate setae much shorter, wider; and the number of setae on last abdominal tergit only about half the number on A. devoniensis ( WILLIAMS, 1985) . There are several palaearctic Acanthococcus species feeding on Erica spp. (Ericaceae) – A. ericae ( SIGNORET, 1875) , A. thymi ( SCHRANK, 1801) , A. timidus (HULDEN, 1985) , A. uvaeaursi (LINNEAUS, 1761) – but their morphology is clearly different from A. thaleri . In the Nearctic region, three species seem to be similar to the new species: Acanthococcus arenosus (COCKERELL, 1897) , A. barri ( MILLER, 1991) and A. mackenziei ( MILLER et MILLER, 1992) . A. arenosus differs from A. thaleri in having 7-segmented antennae; truncate dorsal setae of two distinct sizes, all of them three times longer than wide,larger ones slightly curved and more abundant near the margins; and absence of cruciform pores. A. barri differs from the new species by having 7 segmented antennae; much more abundant dorsal setae in three sizes; absence of cruciform pores; and more robust legs. A. mackenziei differs from A. thaleri in having truncate setae two times longer than wide that are much more abundant on dorsum; absence of loculate pores with more than five loculi; tarsi much longer than tibiae.

Etymology – The new species is named to the honour and memory of arachnologist Prof. Dr. KONRAD THALER, who has collected several new scale insect species in Austria.

Figures

Fig. 1. Acanthococcus thaleri sp. n.: mounted female. Austria, Siebenstein, on Erica carnea