Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsely

Moghaddam, Masumeh, 2013, A review of the mealybugs (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae, Putoidae and Rhizoecidae) of Iran, with descriptions of four new species and three new records for the Iranian fauna, Zootaxa 3632 (1), pp. 1-107 : 60-63

Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsely

(Fig. 34)

Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley, 1898: 47 . Phenacoccus cevalliae Cockerell, 1902: 315 .

DIAGNOSIS. Body of adult female broadly oval. Anal lobes well developed. Antennae 9 segmented. Legs well developed; claw with a denticle. Translucent pores present on hind tibia. Cerarii numbering 18 pairs. Anal lobe cerarii each with 2 lanceolate setae, and a few trilocular pores; anterior cerarii similar. Circulus usually oval, sclerotized and flaccid. Both pairs of ostioles developed with inner edges of lips only lightly sclerotized. Dorsal multilocular disc pores absent; ventral multilocular disc pores present posterior to vulva and usually in a single row medially along posterior edges of abdominal segments VI–VII, and anterior edge of segment VII; most specimens in Asia also with multilocular pores marginally on venter in at least some abdominal segments. Oral collar ducts not numerous, present on venter only, in medial areas across abdominal segments V–VII, and anterior to multilocular disc pores; also with 1 or 2 tubular ducts usually present near margins of some posterior abdominal segments and posterior to each anterior spiracle.

DISTRIBUTION. Afrotropical, Australasian, Nearctic, Neotropical, Oriental, Palaearctic: Egypt and Iran. In Iran, P. solenopsis occurs in Bushehr and Hormozgan. P.solenopsis is known from 45 plant families worldwide (Ben-Dov et al., 2012).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Bushehr: Borazjan, 13 adult Ƥ, on Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Malvaceae) , 10.x.2011 (Fasihi). Hormozgan: Bandar Abbas, Minab, 16 adult Ƥ, on H. rosa- sinensis , 1.i.2009 (Bagheri).

COMMENTS. Moghaddam & Bagheri (2010) recorded P. solenopsis for the first time from Iran. The species was originally described from the U.S.A., where it is widespread; later it was reported in South America and the Caribbean (Williams & Granara de Willink, 1992). Recently, it has been recorded from Asia in most of the major cotton growing regions of Pakistan and in north-western India, and also from Thailand and Taiwan, as well as West Africa from Nigeria, Benin and Cameroon (Hodgson et al. 2008), where it is now a major pest species. This mealybug has been found on a relatively wide variety of host plants (Ben-Dov et al. 2012). There has been much agricultural trade between Iran and Pakistan and other Asian countries. Thus, the accidental introduction of P. solenopsis was to be expected. There are some records of damage to ornamental plants and fruit trees in Hormozgan, Iran (Moghaddam, 2010) but this species is likely to become more widespread and to cause damage on some crops.

The accompanying illustration is taken from Cox (1989) with kind permission from the Keeper of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, London.