Asterococcus atratus Wang

Chris J. Hodgson & Douglas J. Williams, 2016, (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha, Coccomorpha) with particular reference to species from the Afrotropical, western Palaearctic and western Oriental Regions, with the revival of Antecerococcus Green and description of a new genus and fifteen new species, and with ten new synonomies, Zootaxa 4091 (1), pp. 1-175 : 138

Asterococcus atratus Wang

Asterococcus atratus Wang 1980: 140 –141.

Type details. CHINA. Depository: IEBC: China: unknown type status.

Comment. No material of this species has been seen during this study but it is here assumed to be a good species of Asterococcus . Although no collection data are given or types designated, this species has been collected in Guangdong and Sichuan Provinces of China on Camellia sinensis (Theaceae) and Gardenia sp. ( Rubiaceae ). The key in Wang (1980) separates A. atratus from A. schimae as follows:

15. Leg stubs with small spine [seta] at base; submarginal area of venter with numerous 8-shaped pores and tubular ducts......................................................................................... A. schimae Borchsenius - Leg stubs without a small spine [seta] at base; submarginal area of venter with few 8-shaped pores and tubular ducts............................................................................................... A. atratus Wang

In addition, Wang (2001) separates A. atratus from A. yunnanensis in his key by the presence of 8-shaped pores with three lateral closed pores (“trilocular”) in the latter species but these are absent in A. atratus . (With many thanks to Prof. San-an Wu, pers. comm., for the above data).

Based on the figure in Wang (1980), the adult female of A. atratus is characterised by the following combination of character-states: (i) eight-shaped pores on dorsum restricted to three or four transverse bands across abdominal segments; (ii) cribriform plates absent; (iii) tubular ducts on dorsum of one size, sparse medially becoming more abundant around margins; (iv) tubular ducts on venter absent medially; (v) posterior stigmatic bands bifurcated; (vi) stigmatic bands each with very few spiracular disc-pores near spiracles, broadening near margin; (vii) 8-shaped pores of two sizes on venter, smaller forming a marginal band and larger randomly distributed within apex of each stigmatic band; (viii) multilocular disc-pores present across abdominal segments II–VII, and probably on metathorax (also perhaps very sparsely medially on thorax); (ix) leg stubs present, and (x) loculate pores near antennae few.