Gigantococcus maximus (Newstead)

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 : 61-62

Gigantococcus maximus (Newstead)

Icerya maxima Newstead, 1914: 301 .

Icerya corticalis Vayssière, 1926: 321 . Synonymy by Pesson & Bielenin (1966: 248).

Gigantococcus maximus (Newstead) ; Pesson & Bielenin (1966: 219).

Unmounted material. Adult female very large, dorsal surface covered with white wax arranged as striated lamellae; those in front small and irregularly shaped; median row of short tufts; submedian row broad and curved outwards; marginal series of very long, ribbon-like tassels, becoming curled. Venter with ovisac formed by thin layer of closely-felted secretion attached to sides of body; eggs deposited in space between wax layer and abdomen (adapted from Newstead, 1914).

Slide-mounted material. Adult female elongate to elliptical, 8.7–13.8 mm long, 5.2–10.7 mm wide. Antennae 10 or 11 segmented. Eyes, mouthparts and legs as for tribe. Thoracic spiracles as for genus, metathoracic spiracles much larger than mesothoracic spiracles, derm at atrial opening with 20–30 simple multilocular pores, each 10–13 µm in diameter, with quadrilocular to quinquelocular centre and 6–8 outer loculi. Patches on dorsum of derm lacking setae and pores, forming medial to submedial transverse bands on all body segments and submarginal patches on metathorax and all abdominal segments. Hair-like setae on dorsal surface associated with compound multilocular pores only; hair-like setae on ventral surface longest between antennae, covering medial to submarginal head and thorax. Flagellate setae distributed as for genus. Multilocular pores of two types present on dorsal surface: (i) compound multilocular pores, each 15–18 µm in diameter, with square or star-shaped centre and 6–10 reniform outer loculi, forming transverse rows on each segment, a longitudinal submarginal row and an incomplete submedial longitudinal row; and (ii) simple mul- tilocular pores, each 11–13 µm in diameter, with quadrilocular or quinquelocular centre, surrounding compound multilocular pores and bare patches. Compound multilocular pores, similar to compound pores on dorsal surface, scattered on marginal to submarginal ventral head and thorax. Ovisac band made of pores of two types: (i) simple multilocular pores forming inner ovisac band 10–12 pores wide, each pore 11–13 µm in diameter, with quadrilocular or quinquelocular (rarely trilocular) centre and 4–6 outer loculi, and (ii) compound multilocular pores forming outer band, same as on compound pores on dorsal surface. Vulvar opening as for genus, surrounded by simple multilocular pores, each 14–16 µm in diameter, with quadrilocular centre and 10–16 outer loculi. Abdominal segments II–VI with medial to submedial alternating transverse rows of bare derm and compound multilocular pores, each 11–13 µm in diameter, with 8–lobed centre and 9–12 semicircular outer loculi. Multilocular pores, each 10–11 µm in diameter, with 5 or 6–lobed centre and 6–8 outer loculi, scattered on ventromedial head and clustered on ventromedial thorax. Cicatrices hourglass-shaped, numbering 3, central cicatrix largest. Abdominal spiracles as for genus. Anal ring as for genus; anal opening surrounded by sparse hair-like setae and simple multilocular pores, similar to vulvar pores, with bilocular centre and 10–14 outer loculi.

Type data. Icerya maxima : GHANA [= GOLD COAST]: Winneba district, Kwanyako, ex Ficus sp. , 16.xi.1913 (W.H. Patterson). Icerya corticalis : DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO [= CONGO BELGE]: Makaïantête, ex bark of undetermined forest tree, xi.1915 (R. Mayné).

Type material. Syntypes of I. maxima : ad ♀♀, 1 st -instar nymphs (missing from BMNH) . Syntypes of I. corticalis : ad ♂, additional material? ( MNHN) .

Taxonomic notes. Gigantococcus maximus is the largest described iceryine species. It differs from all other species by the presence of large compound multilocular pores with a square or star-shaped centre and reniform outer loculi. Also, the pore type present on the ventromedial abdomen (within the ovisac band) is found in no other species and the pores around the vulvar region have a quadrilocular centre.

The diagnosis is based on material listed in Unruh & Gullan (2008: 38). The syntypes of I. maxima are missing from the collection at BMNH and their whereabouts are unknown. Refer for Unruh & Gullan (2008) for detailed information about this species.