Icerya Signoret

Unruh, Corinne M. & Gullan, Penny J., 2008, Identification guide to species in the scale insect tribe Iceryini (Coccoidea: Monophlebidae), Zootaxa 1803 (1), pp. 1-106 : 69

Icerya Signoret

Icerya Signoret, 1876: 351 . Type species: Icerya sacchari Guérin-Méneville (= Dorthesia seychellarum Westwood ).

Crossotosoma Douglas, 1890: 79 . Type species: Crossotosoma aegyptiacum Douglas. Synonymy by Morrison (1928: 219)

Newsteadiella MacGillivray, 1921: 75 . Type species: Icerya formicarum Newstead. Synonymy by Rao (1951a: 40).

Auloicerya Morrison , in: Morrison & Morrison, 1923: 22. Type species: Icerya rosae australis Maskell. Synonymy by Unruh & Gullan (2008: 41).

Pericerya Silvestri, 1939: 648 . Type species: Icerya purchasi Maskell. Synonymy by Morrison & Morrison (1966: 152).

Icerya has always been and remains the largest genus in the tribe, but the number of described Icerya species has been reduced to 30. Icerya is defined by the absence of compound multilocular pores in all species, presence of open-centre pores in some species as well as occurrence of pore types seen in no other genus. All species are found in the Australasian or Indomalayan biogeographic regions, except I. schrottkyi , which was collected in Brazil and I. natalensis , which was collected in South Africa. These species are included in Icerya because of the shape of the pores of the adult female. We believe they were most likely introduced to the regions where they were collected originally.

Generic description of adult female and first-instar nymph of Icerya

Slide-mounted adult female elongate, elliptical or round, 2.7–10.4 mm long, 2.0– 6.2 mm wide. Antennae 9 to 11 segmented. Labium 3 segmented. Hair-like setae scattered over entire surface, longest medially and marginally, sometimes in marginal clusters. Flagellate setae scant, scattered. Simple multilocular pores of varying types generally found over entire surface, sometimes in marginal and/or dorsal medial clusters. Opencentre pores absent or, if present, in marginal clusters on all body segments and sometimes on dorsum in medial clusters or transverse rows on head and thorax. Ovisac band absent or present. Marsupium absent or, if present, marsupial band forming a complete circle of setae and multilocular pores with bilocular centre; posterior portion of band becoming sclerotized at maturity. Cicatrices circular to elliptical, numbering 1 or 3. Abdominal spiracles in 2 or 3 pairs on abdominal segments VII–VIII or VI–VIII; simple multilocular pores sometimes clustered on derm at thoracic and/or abdominal spiracular opening. Anal opening and anal ring as for tribe. Dorsal derm may become very sclerotized and form distinct sclerotized patches in some species.

Slide-mounted first-instar nymph as for tribe except for following features: abdominal spiracles in 2 or 3 pairs; anal tube with ring of 6 pores at opening; dorsum with abdominal submedial row of 1–3 multilocular pores on each side of metathorax and each abdominal segment, long hair-like setae at abdominal apex in 2 or 3 pairs. Hair-like setae of one species ( I. australis ) with trifid apices.