Aleuropositus sinus Dubey

Dubey, Anil Kumar, 2013, Dialeurolonga re-defined (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae): with a new genus and species from India, two new genera from Australia, and discussion of host-correlated puparial variation, Zootaxa 3616 (6), pp. 548-562 : 550-551

Aleuropositus sinus Dubey sp. n.

( Figs 1 –10, 11–30)

Puparium. Light white, partially transparent and luminous, without fringe of marginal wax, only one puparium found per leaf. Asymmetrically elongate, broadest at first abdominal segment region, nearly three times longer than wide; sexually dimorphic, male 1885–1975 µm long, 650–685 µm wide; female 2370–2520 µm long, 790–880 µm wide; found attached to lateral veins on lower surface of leaves, side of puparium attached to leaf vein usually straight, opposite side curved.

Margin: Smooth or smoothly crenulate, 16–23 cenulations in 0.1 mm. Thoracic tracheal pores usually indicated. In the holotype, thoracic tracheal pores present on the side that was observed attached to side-vein of leaf but absent on the other side. Caudal tracheal pore indicated by deep invagination.

Dorsum: Entirely tuberculate except the narrow submarginal area. Longitudinal moulting suture weakly defined by dorsal tubercles, reaching submargin ( Figs 1 , 11, 13 ). Transverse moulting suture somewhat much clear and reaching submedian area ( Fig. 14 ). Submedian pockets and depressions present, indicated by spacing of dorsal tubercles ( Figs 7 , 14 ). The median length of abdominal segments II–V subequal, segment VI slightly longer (5–15 µm) than VII, and segment VII equal to that of VIII. Geminate pores scattered throughout dorsum and not arranged in longitudinal rows, the porette found associated with large pore observed with fine minute pores ( Fig. 15 ). Thoracic tracheal furrows absent. Caudal tracheal furrow tuberculate, much clearer at posterior apex but not so adjacent to vasiform orifice, 282–417 µm long, 1–5 µm wide. Pockets discontinuous.

Vasiform orifice: Subcordate, female 82–83 µm long, 65–68 µm wide; male 66–72 µm long, 56–58 µm wide; operculum filling nearly 75% of the orifice, constricted at anterior half, female 52–56 µm long, 45–48 µm wide; male 42–45 µm long, 40–41 µm wide. Lingula tip exposed, setose, not reaching beyond the posterior wall of the orifice. Paired setae at the tip of lingula not visible clearly but two subtle base-like structures of setae were observed beneath operculum.

Chaetotaxy: Anterior marginal setae 30–57 µm long and posterior marginal setae 45–52 µm long. Cephalic and first abdominal setae absent ( Figs 1 , 10, 14, 17). All other dorsal setae capitate except caudal setae. Eighth abdominal setae cephalolaterad of vasiform orifice 10–22 µm long and caudal setae pointed, 37–62 µm long. Subdorsum usually with 14 pairs of capitate setae, 7–30 µm long. The number of subdorsal setae from left versus right side of puparium varies greatly, 1–11 setae seen less in number in left versus right side in five of the nine puparia examined, and two puparia each were with 12 setae on both sides and other two puparia each with 14 setae both sides.

Venter: A pair of ventral abdominal setae present, cephalolaterad of vasiform orifice ventrally and located between the bases of eighth abdominal setae ( Fig. 5 ), length varies, 25–45 µm long, 41–67 µm apart. Antennae almost reaching the base of prothoracic legs, length varies in male and female puparia, female 87–95 (keel 7.5 µm) µm long; male 67–83 (keel 3–6 µm) µm long. Legs elongate, slightly curved. Two pairs of fine setae present at base of each leg, setae at base of pro-, meso- and metathoracic legs 5 µm, 16 µm and 15 µm long, respectively. All four pairs of spiracles visible. Caudal and thoracic tracheal folds densely stippled, indicated by narrow bands of circular granules (not in transverse rows), stipples in the thoracic tracheal folds continuous with metathoracic legs in narrow bands, stipples in caudal tracheal folds reaching eighth abdominal spiracles.

Holotype. INDIA: Kerala, Nelliyampathy forests, one female puparium on slide, on unidentified tree, 22.x.2011, A. K. Dubey, in National Pusa Collection, Division of Entomology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).

Paratypes: Eight puparia (3 female and 5 male) on seven slides and one puparium coated with palladium mounted on card, data same as for holotype (IARI-6, NHM-1, USDA-1, ZSI-1).

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from a Latin word ‘ sinus’ meaning curve, fold or bend that is emphasizing the curved nature of puparium.

Remarks. The puparia of the new species are asymmetrical in shape and several taxonomic characters, and all were attached to the lateral veins of leaves. The thoracic tracheal combs were indicated clearly by an invagination of the margin of a puparium closest to a leaf vein, whereas they were absent and the margin smoothly crenulated on the other side ( Fig. 1 ). In all the puparia, the caudal tracheal pore opening, and curvature of the longitudinal moulting suture and caudal furrow are towards leaf veins. The width of cephalic and abdominal segments is shorter on the side closest to a leaf vein. The subdorsal/submedian setae are asymmetrically placed on the left versus the right side of the puparium; the holotype puparium exhibits extreme variation in that it has twelve capitate setae on the left side but three on the right ( Fig. 1 ). However, the number of subdorsal/submedian setae is symmetrical in four puparia; two had 12 setae on each half and two puparia had 14 setae on each half (Fig. 10). However, other combinations in the number of setae on the left and right sides were noted, such as 14 versus 13 in three puparia, and 12 versus 10 in 1 puparium. All examined puparia had fewer setae on the side attached to the leaf vein in contrast to the unattached side. The setae on the meso- and metathoracic segments are generally shorter than the remainder subdorsal/submedian pairs, and much shorter on the side attached to leaf vein (7 µm) than other side (22 µm). The vasiform orifice length may be correlated with the puparial length (dimorphic forms), but the length of dorsal setae did not differ between male and female puparia.

Puparia of the new species resemble those of D. elongata in shape but differ by the absence: of a row of submarginal papillae, a large median pore on abdominal segment VIII, and punctured dorsal surface. They also differ by the presence of an exquisitely tuberculate dorsal surface and a subdorsal row of capitate setae. In D. elongata , submarginal papillae are present, the dorsal surface is entirely punctured, and an unusual large median pore is present on abdominal segment VIII. It differs from the Indian species, Dialeurolonga multituberculata Dubey & Sundararaj , in the very elongate puparia, the transverse moulting suture not reaching the lateral margin, the relatively small polygonal tubercles on the dorsum, the operculum almost covering the orifice, and the absence of first abdominal setae. The new species is similar to the elongate species described from Madagascar but differs: from D. angustata , D. bambusae and D. vendranae (all described by Takahashi) by the absence of the cephalic and first abdominal setae, and submarginal row of rounded or sharply pointed papillae, and by the presence of a row of subdorsal/submedian setae, smaller transverse moulting suture and laterally constricted operculum; and also differs from D. angustata in the absence of minute circular pores in median clusters and eighth abdominal setae positioned far anterior from the base of the vasiform orifice.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5 A. sinus sp. n., holotype puparium, variation, India (Kerala). 1, dorsal view and ventral legs with asymmetrical placement of subdorsal setae. 2, thoracic tracheal pore and margin. 3, subdorsal seta. 4, geminate pores. 5, vasiform orifice with ventral setae in dotted lines.

FIGURES 11 – 16 A. sinus sp. n., puparium, India (Kerala), scanning electron micrographs. 11, dorsal view of puparium. 12, vasiform orifice without operculum. 13, dorsal sculpturing, longitudinal moulting stuture and subdorsal seta. 14, submedian depressions. 15, dorsal pore and porette. 16, subdorsal seta. (lms- longitudinal moulting suture, tms- transverse moulting suture, mit- microtrichia, prt- porette, sds- subdorsal seta, smd- submedian depression).

FIGURES 6 – 9 A. sinus sp. n., holotype puparium, India (Kerala). 6, dorsal view of margin and submargin. 7, dorsal view of abdominal segments I & II with indications of submedian depressions (smd). 8, ventral view of legs and setae. 9, caudal tracheal fold and ventral setae.