Kuwanina Cockerell

Henderson, Rosa C., 2007, Three new genera and six new species of felt scales (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) from mountain habitats in New Zealand, Zootaxa 1449, pp. 1-29 : 10

Kuwanina Cockerell

Kuwanina Cockerell , in Fernald, 1903: 121

Type species: Sphaerococcus parvus Maskell, 1897: 244 Sphaerococcus parvus Maskell, 1897: 244 ; 1898: 247

Kuwanina parvus (Maskell) ; Cockerell, in Fernald, 1903:121; Hoy, 1963: 165 Kuwanina parva (Maskell) ; Green 1915: 181

Maskell’s first description of K. parva was very brief ( Maskell 1897). His second description ( Maskell 1898) had more detail but the illustrations were deemed “quite useless” by Green (1915), who redescribed it and illustrated the adult female, 2nd-instar and 1st-instar nymphs.

Genus diagnosis based on the descriptions of K. parva by Green (1915) and of K. obscurata (Maskell) by Ferris (1919) and with examination of one original Maskell slide each of K. obscurata and K. parva (NZAC) (both mature, sclerotised females), compared with 4 young female K. kiwiana sp. nov.

Diagnostic features for the adult females in this genus are: (i) the apparently unique invaginated 5-locular disc pores on dorsum and/or venter; (ii) opening of microtubular duct a large dark ring on dorsum, that may appear as an empty invagination when derm heavily sclerotised and duct not visible (as on K. obscurata , see Ferris (1919)); (iii) ventral anal opening either simple or with a non-cellular anal ring, with 0–6 small setae; (iv) dorsal abdominal segments heavily sclerotised with intersegmental furrows; (v) antennae much reduced, with or without setae, and (vi) legs, when present, represented by vestigial leg flaps ( Williams 1985).

Comments. Kuwanina currently contains two species, K. parva and K. obscurata . The addition of K. kiwiana sp. nov. brings this number to 3 and the distribution of the genus now includes New Zealand. K. parva has been recorded from Korea, Japan, and United Kingdom and K. obscurata from Australia ( Hoy 1963, Williams 1985, Miller & Gimpel 2007). Williams (1985) indicated that K. parva seems to be related to Cryptococcus in lacking legs and having the metathoracic legs replaced by pore-bearing flaps; Kuwanina differs, however, in lacking macrotubular ducts. Ferris (1919) stated that K. obscurata has a cribriform plate or tubercle behind each posterior spiracle but this is in fact a pore-bearing leg flap (coxa) as on K. parva . Note that the illustrations of the adult female K. parva in Green (1915) and Morrison & Morrison (1922) show 3 pairs of anal ring setae, but the adult female specimen in NZAC, mounted by Maskell, clearly has only 2 pairs of anal ring setae, with other anal lobe setae in close proximity. It is uncertain whether this number is variable (unlikely), the Maskell specimen is aberrant, or earlier workers misidentified which setae were actually on the anal ring and thought there should be the normal 3 pairs of setae there. K. kiwiana sp. nov. possesses 3 pairs of anal ring setae while K. obscurata has no setae on its simple anal opening.