Aspidiotinae, Ferris, 1942

Wappler, Torsten & Ben-Dov, Yair, 2008, Preservation of armoured scale insects on angiosperm leaves from the Eocene of Germany, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 53 (4), pp. 627-634 : 629

Aspidiotinae gen. et sp. indet. 1

Material.— NHMM PB 2005/140, LS, FIS SM.B.Me 20246; FIS SM.B.Me 19309; NHMM PB 2005/411, LS; FIS SM.B.Me 3958; FIS SM.B.Me 19250.

Description.—The female scale cover of this species is circular, with considerable variation in diameter from 1 mm to 2.6 mm. Concentric rings, representing the scale covers excreted by first and second nymph instars, are clearly discernible (Fig. 1B). The total scale cover is surrounded with a ring (width about 250 µm), which is slightly brighter than the scale cover and elevated from the leaf surface and from scale cover surface (Fig. 1B). This ring appears not to constitute part of the scale cover, but rather belonging to the host plant. We suppose that it is a kind of reaction of the plant to the developing armoured scale insect. We could not speculate as to the colour of the scale cover. Fig. 1E is a SEM of the ventral (inner) surface of the scale cover, showing the pattern of wax secretion during the process of scale cover formation by the adult female. Fig. 1F is a cross section of the scale cover, clearly indicating the moults of nymphal stages that are incorporated within the scale cover.

Comments.—Based on the shape and size of the scale covers of the above listed two fossils, this taxon appears to be related to extant species of genera such as Aonidiella , Chrysomphalus , and Melanaspis (Fig. 1C, D). These genera include many extant species which are pests of various agricultural crops of great economic importance. These species are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical territories of the Nearctic, Neotropical, Ethiopian, Palearctic, Oriental, and Australasian zoogeographical regions.

Aspidiotinae gen. et sp. indet. 2

Material.— NHMM PB 1995/448, LS; NHMM PB 2005/62, LS; NHMM PB 2005/375, LS; NHMM PB 2005/456, LS.

Description.—The female scale cover of this species is circular, about 1 mm in diameter. Concentric rings, representing the first and second nymphal instars, are distinct. The “white cap” part of the scale cover is slightly whitish in hue, while the scales of second instar and adult female are brown (Fig. 1G–I). Scale covers of nymphal stages (Fig. 1J) are circular, about 300 µm in diameter. All records of this species were found on species of coryphoid−like Arecaceae (palms).

Comments.—Extant scale insects ( Coccoidea ), including extant armoured scale insects ( Diaspididae ), frequently infest host plants of the family Arecaceae ( Ben−Dov and Miller 2007) . Among 2384 extant species of Diaspididae , 153 species have been recorded from species of Arecaceae . The armoured scale species Comstockiella sabalis ( Comstock, 1883) , and Parlatoria blanchardi Targioni Tozzetti, 1892 , have been reported exclusively from species of Arecaceae . The pit−scale family, Asterolecaniidae , includes the genus Palmaspis , with 32 species, all of which develop only on palms. The monogeneric family Phoenicococcidae , contains one species, namely, Phoenicococcus marlatti Cockerell, 1899 , which develops on about 12 species of Arecaceae .