Aonidia pauca, Hardy, Nate B. & Williams, Douglas J., 2018

Hardy, Nate B. & Williams, Douglas J., 2018, Doubling the known endemic species diversity of New Caledonian armored scale insects (Hemiptera, Diaspididae), ZooKeys 782, pp. 11-47 : 11

Aonidia pauca sp. n. Figures 3, 4

Material examined.

Holotype: 1 adult female (0.34 mm long, 0.23 mm wide), ex myrtaceous shrub, Mont D’Or, roadside fountain, 24.viii.1963, leg. SW Brown, SWB accession 260 (USNM). Paratypes: New Caledonia: 3 adult females (1 in mounting medium just outside of cover slip, on right side of slide), 1 second-instar, exuviae of 2 second-instars (i.e., puparia), and exuviae of two first-instars: ex unknown host, Yaté, 10.iv.2014, leg. S Cazères, 137-14, COCHE/34/14 (NHMUK).

Description.

Adult female, n = 3. Pupillarial. Body 0.34-0.50 mm long, broadest at metathorax (0.18-0.27 mm); outline roughly fusiform, posterior margin truncate.

Pygidium with 3-4 differentiated lobes on each side, but no plates or gland spines. Dorsum of pygidium more sclerotic on posterior than anterior end, membranous patches of cuticle in anterior half. Anus circular (~11 μm in diameter), near anterior edge of the pygidium. Microducts scattered along submargin. No macroducts detected. Venter of pygidium with vulva in anterior half. No perivulvar pores. Distinct transverse ridge present anterior of lobes.

Prepygidial segments Dorsum with fine, hair-like setae, scattered along margin. Ducts absent. Conspicuous tubercle on each side of head. On venter, small setae in loose longitudinal submedial and submarginal lines across abdominal segments. A few microducts in marginal areas of abdominal segments. Each anterior spiracle with a cluster of three trilocular pores. Antennae each with two fleshy setae.

Second-instar female.Pygidium with only medial lobes, each with lateral notch. Anus circular in anterior half of pygidium. Large two-barred macroducts on margin, four on each side, posterior three ducts opening into distinct pore prominence. A basal sclerosis extending from inner edge of each L1 on each side of body, converging medially to form a triangular carina. One simple gland spine just mesal of each pore prominence. A few microducts present in submargrinal area.

Comments.

Like the adult female of A. montikoghis , that of A. pauca is bereft of many diagnostic characters. It can be easily distinguished from the former by having well-developed pygidial lobes and tilocular pores near the anterior spiracles.

Etymology.

The specific name pauca is the Latin feminine adjective paucus, meaning few and referring to the simplicity of the morphology of the adult female.