Aleurotulus Quaintance & Baker, 1914

Sanchez-Flores, Oscar Ángel, García-Martínez, Oswaldo, Coronado-Blanco, Juana Maria & Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique, 2023, Description of a new species of Aleurotulus Quaintance & Baker (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) from Mexico, with a key to species, Florida Entomologist 106 (2), pp. 69-73 : 70-73

Aleurotulus Quaintance & Baker

Puparia case small, elliptical to oval, usually light color (except for some, such as Aleurotulus anthuricola Nakahara ).

DISTRIBUTION

Widespread (Australasian, Nearctic, Neotropical, and Palaearctic regions).

TAXONOMY

Aleurotulus comprises species whose puparia display the following combination of characters ( Martin 2005): margin regularly toothed, the teeth either simple or each with a gland at its base; if the margin is modified at tracheal openings then it has combs of modified teeth; single submedian pairs of metathoracic, eighth abdominal and caudal setae present, cephalic and mesothoracic pairs present or absent; submargin bearing 7 pairs of tiny setae in cephalothorax and anterior part of abdomen (character shared with species of Aleurothrixus , Aleurotrachelus , and some species of Tetraleurodes ); abdomen with or without rhachis; vasiform orifice ovoid to cordate, mostly occupied by the operculum; lingula head large, usually extending beyond boundary of vasiform orifice, but sometime folded vertically into posterior part of the orifice; puparial cuticle pale or brown.

Aleurotulus carapiai Sánchez-Flores and García-Martínez sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–4 )

PUPARIUM

Habitus. Puparia develop big aggregations under leaf blades. Each individual secretes a dense tangle of fine, translucent filaments from dorsal surface, whereas some individuals secrete distinct peripheral wax “stars” ( Fig. 1 ). Puparium in slide ( Fig. 2 ). Outline oval, 0.95 to 0.97 mm long, 0.55 to 0.75 mm wide, generally widest at the abdominal segment I/II. Margin regularly crenulate, teeth not modified at thoracic tracheal openings.

DORSUM

In outer submargin, each marginal tooth with a distinct basal gland, narrower than the tooth; basal glands of non-uniform teeth in pairs of 2 or 3 closer to the margin or other pairs of 2 or 3 farther from margin ( Fig. 3 ); glands ovoid and slightly longer than wide; dorsal disc almost completely separated from wide submarginal area, sometimes by 1 disjunctive fold; longitudinal moulting suture reaching puparial margin, distinctly keeled; transverse moulting sutures terminating in subdorsum, opposite median part of abdominal segment I, but their confluence with the longitudinal suture is so far anterior as to be almost contiguous with suture-like mesometathoracic fold. Dorsal disc with cuticle generally rather smooth; median part of abdomen raised to form a rhachis ( Fig. 1 ) with very finely spinulose cuticle; lateral to rhachis, 4 major pairs of folds are directed posteriad at an acute angle to median line of puparium; abdominal segment VII not reduced in length medially, abdominal segments I to VIII clearly visible in the middle part with approximate length: segment I 80 μm, segment II 40 μm, segment III 50 μm, segment IV 50 μm, segment V 50 μm, segment VI 50 μm, and segment VII 55 μm.

VASIFORM ORIFICE

Subcordate ( Fig. 4 ), 60 mm long, 65 mm wide, about as long as wide; operculum rectangular, convex-sided, hind margin slightly curved anteriorly, occupying two-thirds vasiform orifice; lingula with the head wider than the shaft, circular, bristly surface and with 2 apical setae, usually just lingular head extending beyond boundary of vasiform orifice. Pockets (submedian abdominal segment VII/ VIII boundary) evident.

PORES

Dorsal disc provided with pore/porette geminate pairs, fairly regularly paired on each side of body, 1 or 2 pairs on each segment of rhachis; outer subdorsum with uneven row of pore/porettes; 1 tiny porette present immediately mesal to some marginal tooth-base glands, and slightly further mesad with a row of slightly larger pores.

VENTER

Tracheal folds absent. Antennal bases anteromesal to fore legs, antennae smooth sided, slightly acute apically and shorter than front legs. Ventral abdominal setae long, fine, similar to posterior marginal pair, underlying mid-point between vasiform orifice and pockets.

CHAETOTAXY

Submarginal area with 7 pairs of tiny setae (the anterior most 6 pairs depicted), these are difficult to see if margin is curled down. Posterior marginal setae present, hair-like; anterior marginal setae not always evident but shorter than posterior pair. Submedian setal pairs as follows: the cephalic absent; metathoracic thickened but long and rather ribbon-like, 150 mm; eighth abdominal broad, stout and acute, 80 mm in holotype; caudal, very long and fine, 100 mm in holotype.

COMMENTS

Aleurotulus carapiai is a member of the A. mundururu group,differing from Aleurotulus laneus Martin principally because of the absence of cephalic setae, and from Aleurotulus mundururu Bondar because the basal glands of the teeth are non-uniform, and the submarginal furrow is present.

ETYMOLOGY

Named for Vicente Emilio Carapia-Ruiz, in recognition of his contribution to the study of whiteflies for Mexico.

HOST PLANT

Syngonium neglectum Schott. Family: Araceae Juss.

DISTRIBUTION

Mexico: States of Coahuila (Saltillo) and Nuevo León (Monterrey) .

TYPE MATERIAL

HOLOTYPE: Mexico: Coahuila, Saltillo. 19–X–2016, collector Sánchez-Flores O. A. ex: on the underside of leaves of Syngonium neglectum Schott. Deposit : Holotype CNIN; 1 puparium .

PARATYPES: 205, same data as holotype. Deposit: CNIN 5 ; OSSF 100 puparia; VECR 100 puparia .

OTHER MATERIALS. Mexico, Nuevo León, Monterrey. 15–X–2015, collector García-Martinez O. ex: on the underside of leaves of Syngonium neglectum Schott. 270 puparia. Deposit : OSSF.

Key to species of Aleurotulus pupal cases (modified from Mound et al. 1994)

Aleurotulus arundinacea Singh is excluded from the key because it is considered an incertae sedis species (see Mound et al. 1994: 1409).

1. Pupal case dark brown to black; median area of abdomen not rhachisform...................... Aleurotulus anthuricola Nakahara

1’.— Pupal case pale to dusky; median area of abdomen at least slightly rhachisform............................................. 2

2. (1) Abdominal rhachis with pronounced oblique lateral rays, which extend almost to submargin.................................. 3

2’.— If abdominal rhachis present lateral rays, these are short and perpendicular to longitudinal axis of puparium..................... 5

3. (2) Cephalic setal pair present; longitudinal moulting suture not keeled........................................ Aleurotulus laneus

3’.— Cephalic setal pair absent; longitudinal moulting suture strongly keeled, ofen folding laterally in slide-mounted specimens......... 4

4. (3) Basal glands of the teeth uniform; submarginal furrow absent......................................... Aleurotulus mundururu

4’.— Basal glands of the teeth non-uniform; submarginal furrow present................................. Aleurotulus carapiai sp. nov.

5. (2) Marginal teeth bases without associated glands; teeth at areas of thoracic tracheal openings modified, the ‘comb’ slightly protruding of the main outline of puparium........................................................ Aleurotulus nephrolepidis (Quaintance)

5’.— Marginal teeth base with associated glands; if teeth at areas of thoracic tracheal openings modified at all, then not standing proud of the main outline of puparium................................................................ Aleurotulus pteridophytae Martin

Figures

Fig. 1. Aleurotulus carapiai Sánchez-Flores and García-Martínez sp. nov. pu- parium in situ.

Fig. 2. Aleurotulus carapiai Sánchez-Flores and García-Martínez sp. nov. pu- parium mounted on slides.

Fig. 3. Aleurotulus carapiai Sánchez-Flores and García-Martínez sp. nov. sub- marginal area.

Fig. 4. Aleurotulus carapiai Sánchez-Flores and García-Martínez sp. nov. vasiform orifice.