Ceroplastes deceptrix (De Lotto)

Hodgson, Chris J. & Peronti, Ana L. B. G., 2012, 3372, Zootaxa 3372, pp. 1-265 : 40-44

Ceroplastes deceptrix (De Lotto)

( Figs 3, 4, 28, 29: Map fig. 103)

Gascardia deceptrix De Lotto, 1965: 200 .

Ceroplastes deceptrix (De Lotto) ; Ben-Dov, 1993: 30.

Material examined: Paratype ♀, South Africa, Western Cape Province, Clanwilliam District, on Rhus undulata , 17.v.1962, Munting ( USNM): 1/1 (young, good) .

Also: South Africa, Western Cape Province, Calitzdorp, unknown host, 10.v.2009, Nina Landman ( SANC): 4/7 (fair-good); Western Cape Province, Barrydale, Brandrivier Farm, 31.x.2008, Aspalathus hirta subsp. hirta, Nina Landman (BMNH) : 1/2 (good); as previous but collected 14.iv.2009, C.J. Hodgson & J. Giliomee ( BMNH; SANC): 6/7 (fair-good); Western Cape Province, Kalkbaai, 15.viii.2009, on Aspalathus ?carnosa, Caroline Voget ( BMNH; SANC): 4/4 (fair-good); Western Cape Province, Stellenbosch, Jonkershoek, 3.x.2008, Erica sphaeroides, J. Giliomee (BMNH) : 1/2 (good); as previous but on Anthospermum aethiopicum (BMNH, SANC) : 5/5 (fair); as previous but on Thesium sp. , 12.iv.2009, C.J. Hodgson ( BMNH): 2/2 (fair-poor); as previous but 15.x.2008, J. Giliomee ( BMNH): 1/1 (fair); Western Cape Province, Paarl, on Aspalathus spinosa , 4.iv.1974, C. Voget ( SANC #5176): 3/3 (good); as previous but #5308 ( SANC): 2/2 (fair-good); Eastern Cape Province, Coega, on Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemoides) monilifera , 4.iv.1978, S. Neser ( SANC #5435): 1/1 (good).

Note. Main description from very young paratype specimen; data in brackets refer to a range of more mature non-type material.

Unmounted material. “Young adult females moderately convex, elliptical, about 3 mm long; wax test thin, fairly hard and brittle, not divided into plates; dorsum with a small depression at the centre of which is a minute elongate opaque white boss; colour semitransparent white; lateral margin with 2 narrow bands of snow-white wax arising from the stigmatic clefts. Full-grown adult females not seen” ( De Lotto, 1965: 200). Wax of older examples (from Barrydale) white, amorphous, quite hard but watery when squashed, very thick (up to about 5 mm thick); stigmatic wax lines narrow, in deepish indentations, very white and linear; anal opening in a deep pit. Dorsal area with a small glassy boss. Largest adults 12 mm long and about 18 mm wide.

Mounted material. Youngest adults broadly oval, with small lateral processes and a distinct dorsal process, but these becoming much more pronounced on older individuals, particularly that dorsally, so that fully-mature specimens are about as wide as long. Stigmatic clefts quite deep. Caudal process conical, pointing dorsoposteriorly. Length about 1.4 (1.9–4.4) mm, width 1.0 (1.6–3.5) mm.

Dorsum. Derm membranous except for heavily sclerotised caudal process. Caudal process about 0.3 (0.52–1.28) mm long; width across flattened process 0.4 (0.6–1.5) mm. Derm with 8 clear areas (although these are sometimes small and indistinct), each with dorsal setae rare or absent. Dorsal setae each somewhat variable in shape but short, length less than or subequal to width of basal socket, length 2.5 (2.0–4.5) µm; basal socket width about 3.0–3.5 µm; each seta blunt but longer setae with slightly converging sides (those from Jonkershoek quite sharply pointed); present sparsely throughout but absent in clear areas. Dorsal pores: (i) loculate microducts of intermediate type, with a large central (primary) loculus and 1–4 (1–6) small satellite loculi, primary loculus as large as or larger than satellite loculi; those with 2 or 3 loculi most abundant; microducts with 1 satellite loculus about 2.5–3.0 µm widest, those with 4 satellite loculi about 5 µm widest; apparently randomly distributed and abundant throughout but absent from all clear areas; those with 2–4 satellite loculi becoming less abundant near clear areas; wax-plate lines absent; and (ii) simple microducts, each about 1 µm wide, only detected in clear areas. Preopercular pores: with 16–20 (15–40) pores in a broad band 2–4 pores wide anterior to anal plates and extending a short distance down lateral margin when pores abundant. Anal plates rather elongate; each 134 (150–160) µm long, combined widths about 132 (100–155) µm, each with 3 long, stout dorsal setae, each about 40–70 µm long, plus a smaller setose seta apically, about 20–30 µm long. Anal tube quite short, subequal to length of anal plates; anal ring setae each about 150–170 µm long.

Margin. Marginal setae each stoutly setose, about 14–21 (20) µm long; very sparse, with perhaps 4 or 5 (5) between eyespots anteriorly, 1–3 between eyespots and anterior stigmatic cleft, and 4 or 5 (2–4) between stigmatic clefts and 12 or 13 on each side of abdomen; each anal lobe with 3 (1–3) longer setae, longest about 18–33 (23–35) µm long. Stigmatic clefts quite deep, each with a group of bluntly conical stigmatic setae; each group approximately round to slightly wider than long; each with 30–50 (32–70) setae; most setae with somewhat straight sides and a blunt to very blunt apex, most 6–7 (9–12) µm wide and 6–8 (7–12) µm long but each group with 2–7 obviously larger setae distributed rather randomly, each larger seta mostly evenly rounded but some with flat apices, each about 15–18 µm wide and 12–14 µm long. Eyespots unusually small, each 24 (13–20) µm wide.

Venter. Derm entirely membranous. Pregenital disc-pores abundant around genital opening (segment VII) and across preceding segment, plus (on non-type specimens) as follows: metathorax 0–1; and medially on abdominal segment II 0–1, III 0–2, IV 2–18, V 13–35 and, mediolaterally in each anogenital fold: II 0, III 0–2, IV 0–3; V 2–25. Spiracular disc-pores each with 5 or 6 loculi (occasionally more), present in broad bands of 100–210 pores; each band with a few pores extending medially past peritreme. Ventral microducts scarce or absent medially on abdomen. Ventral tubular ducts each with inner ductule usually obscure but occasionally visible and sometimes appearing to be swollen basally; present in a rather dense group of about 40–90+ in cephalic region, plus occasional ducts submarginally in each thoracic segment and anteriorly on abdomen; also present in a fairly dense group associated with anogenital fold and extending up mediolateral margins of most abdominal segments plus sparsely medially on abdominal segments IV–VI (VII?). Submarginal setae frequent, very similar to marginal setae but shorter, each about 15 (10–13) µm long.

Antennae each with 6 segments, but segment III with 2 (0–1) pseudo-articulations, occasionally very distinct; total length 236 (220–260) µm. Clypeolabral shield about 216 (145–200) µm long. Spiracles: width of anterior peritremes 50–70 µm; posterior peritremes 55–85 µm wide.

Legs well developed, each without a tibio-tarsal articulatory sclerosis; claw denticle either small and distinct or obscure; claw digitules both broad on some specimens but usually with 1 slightly narrower than other; tarsal digitules quite short, subequal to length of claw digitules; dimensions of metathoracic legs (µm): coxa 95 (110–135); trochanter + femur 132 (125–160); tibia 95 (90–110); tarsus 63 (54–75), and claw 22 (25–27).

Discussion. In having ventral tubular ducts submarginally in the thorax and/or abdomen, and short blunt dorsal setae, C. deceptrix resembles C. rusticus (De Lotto) . It differs in having (character-states of C. rusticus in brackets): (i) white wax (pale yellow); (ii) ventral tubular ducts not present medially on thorax (present); (iii) tubular ducts very sparse submarginally on thorax and absent submarginally on abdomen (fairly evenly distributed along entire submargin of body), and (iv) claw digitules of only slightly different sizes (very different). In having submarginal tubular ducts, C. deceptrix and C. rusticus are also somewhat similar to young C. madagascariensis but the latter has much longer, rather capitate dorsal setae, many more stigmatic setae and multilocular disc-pores which extend onto the thorax.

C. deceptrix appears to be restricted to the Cape area of South Africa where it is quite widespread. It has been collected on a range of hosts belonging to the following families: Anacardiaceae , Ericaceae , Fabaceae , Rubiaceae and Santalaceae .

Variation: specimens from Calitzdorp and Jonkershoek have fewer ventral tubular ducts in the cephalic region and almost no loculate dorsal microducts with 4 or more satellite loculi. Those from Barrydale have more tubular ducts in cephalic region and loculate microducts with even 6 satellite loculi not uncommon, while those from Kalkbaai are intermediate.