Crypticerya montserratensis (Riley & Howard)

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 : 35-36

Crypticerya montserratensis (Riley & Howard)

Icerya montserratensis Riley & Howard, 1890b: 99 .

Crypticerya montserratensis (Riley & Howard) ; Unruh & Gullan (2008: 26) .

Unmounted material. Adult female reddish-yellow, somewhat convex, dorsal surface covered in waxy secretion, arranged in double row of tufts around margin; two long extensions of wax present at anterior and posterior ends, reaching up to 20 mm long; ovisac about twice as long as adult female, fluted, tending to turn downwards at apex (adapted from Riley & Howard, 1890b).

Slide-mounted material. Adult female oval (lectotype 5.4 mm long, 4.0 mm wide). Antennae 10 or 11 segmented. Eyes, mouthparts and legs as for tribe. Thoracic spiracles as for genus. Hair-like setae scattered across all segments, longest marginally, between antennae and at abdominal apex. Flagellate setae as for genus. Simple multilocular pores, each 10–12 µm in diameter, with trilocular (rarely quadrilocular) centre and 6–8 outer loculi, covering dorsal surface, densest around submargin and forming a medial longitudinal row on head and thorax. Simple multilocular pores, each 9–10 µm in diameter, with trilocular (appearing triangular), quadrilocular (appearing cruciform) or quinquelocular (appearing star-shaped) centre and 10–12 outer loculi, present in segmental clusters of 6–14 on submedial dorsal head and thorax and submarginal ventral head and thorax. Simple multilocular pores, each 8–9 µm in diameter, with trilocular (appearing triangular), quadrilocular (appearing cruciform) or quinquelocular (appearing star-shaped) centre and 3–5 outer loculi, scattered on ventromedial head and thorax. Ovisac band made of two types of simple multilocular pores: (i) slightly larger pores forming inner band 6–8 pores wide, each pore 10–12 µm in diameter, with trilocular to quadrilocular centre and 6–8 outer loculi, and (ii) smaller pores (appearing bluish when stained) forming outer band 3 or 4 pores wide, each pore 9–10 µm in diameter, with triangular, cruciform or star-shaped centre and 10–12 outer loculi. Simple multilocular pores, each 8–9 µm in diameter, with bilocular centre and 4–6 outer loculi, scattered in transverse rows on ventromedial abdomen. Vulvar opening as for genus. Cicatrices circular to oval, numbering 3, central cicatrix largest. Abdominal spiracles as for genus. Anal ring and anal opening as for genus, surrounded by long, hair-like setae.

Type data. MONTSERRAT: ex Chrysophyllum sp. (H. de C. Hamilton) .

Type material. Lectotype here designated: partially destroyed ad ♀, “ I. montserratensis / Chrysophyllum ./ Montserrat, W.I/ July 14. ’90./(Hamilton)”//“4708”//“38/4” ( USNM) . Paralectotypes: body parts of ad ♀♀ (same slide as lectotype); 2 1 st -instar nymphs, 14 eggs (all on one slide) (same data as lectotype, except “38/ 1”) ( USNM) ; 7 3 rd -instar nymphs, 2 2 nd -instar nymphs, 3 1 st -instar nymphs (all nymphs on one slide) (same data as lectotype, except “Type” written in pencil on large label and “38/5”) ( USNM) ; parts of 1 ad ♀ (one slide) (same data as lectotype, except “Type” written in pencil on large label, an additional label, “4708/adult ♀ /with/egg-sack” and “38/6”) ( USNM) ; half an ad ♀ (same data as lectotype, except “Type” written in pencil on large label, an additional label, “4708/adult ♀ /with/egg-sack” and “38/7”) ( USNM) ; 6 1 st -instar nymphs (same data as lectotype, except “38/3”) ( USNM) ; 4 3 rd -instar nymphs (same data as lectotype, except “38/2”) ( USNM) ; dry material ( USNM).

Taxonomic notes. Refer to the C. montserratensis group for a discussion of similar species.

This species was reported originally as a pest of lime trees, cocoa, banana and forest trees in Montserrat, West Indies ( Riley & Howard, 1890b: 100). Riley and Howard were contacted by the Montserrat Company of Birmingham in England asking to be sent Vedalia cardinalis (now Rodolia cardinalis (Mulsant)) for use in extermination of a population of a scale related to Icerya purchasi that was attacking the lime orchards. Riley and Howard asked to see specimens of the scale as they believed that vedalia beetles fed only on I. purchasi , but when they received specimens, the insects were on leaves of Chrysophyllum and not on the lime leaves, stems and fruit in the same package ( Riley & Howard, 1890b: 99–100). The World Catalogue ( Ben-Dov, 2005: 202) did not provide the collector’s name, but the name of the collector (Mr H. de C. Hamilton) was provided in the original description.