Ceroplastes ghesquierei Hodgson & Peronti, 2012

Hodgson, Chris J. & Peronti, Ana L. B. G., 2012, 3372, Zootaxa 3372, pp. 1-265 : 124-126

Ceroplastes ghesquierei Hodgson & Peronti , spec. nov.

( Fig. 60; Map fig. 104)

Material examined: Holotype ♀: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kisangani [Stanleyville], on Loranthus sp. , 14.xii.1936, J. Ghesquière #4097( TERV): 1/3 (holotype on left-hand side of slide; fair-good).

Paratype ♀: as for holotype ( MNHN): remaining 2 specimens on holotype slide + 4/13 (fairly good–poor). Also a sachet of dried specimens ( TERV) .

Other material: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eala, on Loranthus sp. , 30.iii.1936, J. Ghesquière #4035 ( MNHN): 1/3 (very poor); Trumu, on Ficus sp. , -. iv.1937, J. Ghesquière #4131 ( MNHN, TERV): 3/8 (fairly good-poor); Lac Majunga, on an unknown plant, 25.i.11934, Mission de Witte ( MNHN #14786): 7/7 (good-poor).

Note. Main description taken from type series, data from non-type material in [..] brackets, when different.

Unmounted material. The waxy test of 80 year-old dried specimens rather clear yellow but some clearly showing a basic structure similar to that of C. rusci , with a series of marginal plates, anterior 2 lateral pairs each with white stigmatic lines, plus a larger dorsal plate with a central dark nucleus. With wax removed, younger specimens with a central dorsal dome and a short caudal process.

Mounted material. Body rather roundly oval and probably fairly convex, with shallow stigmatic clefts; lateral tubercles distinct although small. Caudal process short and stout, probably directed rather upwards. Length of young specimens 1.6–2.5 mm, width about 1.0– 1.5 mm.

Dorsum. Derm membranous apart from heavily sclerotised caudal process. Caudal process probably approximately round and about 445–500 [–580] µm wide. Derm with 8 clear areas as normal; a few setae present in cephalic clear area and setae also frequent in mid-dorsal area. Dorsal setae each mostly short with sides slightly convergent but longer setae with a pointed apex, each subequal to or slightly longer than width of basal socket, length 3.0–6.5 µm, basal socket width 4–5 µm; frequent throughout and in some clear areas as described above. Dorsal pores: (i) loculate microducts of rusci-type abundant, each about 5–6 µm widest; pores with 2 satellite loculi sparse except in wax-plate lines where frequent; pores becoming scarce over a large area medially; pores with 3 or more satellite loculi absent; wax plate lines distinct; and (ii) simple microducts present in all clear areas, each with a sclerotised rim; not detected elsewhere. Preopercular pores present in an elongate band of about 16–22 [11–17], each band 1–2 wide. Anal plates together almost circular, each plate 125–133 µm long, width of both plates combined 128–137 µm, each with 3 large dorsal setae, each set close to posterior margin; each seta 38–58 µm long; shorter apical seta not detected. Anal tube about 1.0–1.5 times longer than length of anal plates.

Margin. Marginal setae strongly setose, each about 10–18 µm long; with 13–19 between eyespots on head, and (on each side) 2–5 [–6] between each eyespot and anterior stigmatic setae, 1 or 2 [–5] setae between stigmatic areas, and about 12 or 13 on each side of abdomen; each anal lobe with 3 or 4 longer setae, longest about 90 µm long. Stigmatic clefts shallow; stigmatic setae all sharply conical, with slightly convex sides; most about 8–12 µm long and 7–8 µm wide at base, but most clefts with a larger seta about 15 µm long and 10 µm wide at apex of each group on dorsum; smallest setae only 5 µm long and 3.5 µm wide; setae extending from close to each eyespot along entire margin to well posterior to posterior cleft; with, on each side of specimen, about 65–100 stigmatic setae, broadening gradually in each cleft to about 4 setae deep, and with non-marginal setae extending a long way on either side of each cleft; total along each margin 52–75, plus 9–15 non-marginal setae in each cleft; also with 0 [0–3] stigmatic setae on anterior margin between eyespots. Eyespots each about 27–30 [25–30] µm wide.

Venter. Derm entirely membranous. Pregenital disc-pores abundant around genital opening (segment VII) and across preceding segment, and then very sparse (1–9) medially on segments V and IV; absent more anteriorly. Spiracular disc-pores present in broad bands of at least 100, each band not broadening near margin; with none extending medially past spiracular apodemes. Ventral microducts showing nothing distinctive. Ventral tubular ducts absent both in cephalic region and on abdomen [1 present in cephalic region on 1 specimen, and 1 or 2 occasionally present associated with anogenital fold in segment VI]. Submarginal setae setose, more abundant than marginal setae, each about 8–10 µm long.

Antennae each with 6 segments, segment III apparently without pseudo-articulations; total length 215–240 [–245] µm. Clypeolabral shield about 130–150 [128–165] µm long. Spiracles: width of peritremes 45–55 µm. Legs well developed; each with a distinct but small tibio-tarsal articulatory sclerosis [articulatory sclerosis often clearly absent]; claw denticles absent; claw digitules both broad and slightly shorter than tarsal digitules; dimensions of metathoracic legs (µm): coxa 105–115 [–120]; trochanter + femur 128–135 [124–150]; tibia 85–95, and tarsus 60–65 [58–67]; claw 20–25 [18–23].

Discussion. C. ghesquierei is clearly a member of the C. rusci -group but differs from the other members of this group in having the following combination of characters: (i) absence of ventral tubular ducts in cephalic region and often on abdomen; (ii) stigmatic setae on each side meeting between clefts and extending from near each eyespot a long way past each posterior cleft; also often with a few present between eyespots anteriorly; (iii) each stigmatic setal group broadening to 4 setae deep in each cleft, and with non-marginal stigmatic setae extending a long way along margin laterally; (iv) stigmatic setae sharply cone-shaped, (v) presence of only 1–5 marginal setae on each side laterally between clefts and (vi) large dorsal setae on each anal plate all located near posterior margin. In almost entirely lacking ventral tubular ducts, C. ghesquierei is similar to C. balachowskyi (described as new above), C. singularis and C. galeatus . C. singularis differs from the other 3 species in having a band of stigmatic setae around the entire margin (absent from some parts of the margin on other 3 species). It also resembles C. galeatus , particularly in having the large dorsal setae on the anal plate restricted to near the outer margins of each plate but, based on the available material, differs from C. galeatus in having many more stigmatic setae on each side, meeting laterally between the clefts. It is possible that C. ghesquierei is a synonym of C. galeatus but, based on the available specimens, they are easily separable. For a comparison with C. balachowskyi , see under that species.

C. ghesquierei is currently only known from Democratic Republic of the Congo on Loranthus sp. (Loranthaceae) and Ficus sp. (Moraceae) .

Name derivation: the specific name ghesquierei is in honour of Jean Ghesquière (1892–1982), a Belgian who worked in Democratic Republic of the Congo as an applied entomologist working for the Institute National pour l’Etude Agronomique du Congo between about 1922 and 1952 and who collected all of the above material and a large number of other Ceroplastinae , many of them mentioned in this paper.