Rhopalotococcus metrosideri, Williams, 2007

Williams, D. J., 2007, Scale insects of the families Asterolecaniidae and Eriococcidae (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) in New Caledonia, Journal of Natural History 41 (21 - 24), pp. 1343-1366 : 1362-1364

Rhopalotococcus metrosideri sp. nov.

( Figure 5 )

Description

Appearance of leaf gall induced by this species resemble galls described under R. dugdalei .

Adult female on microscope slide, membranous, elongate-pyriform, 1.00– 1.45 mm long, 0.50–0.70 mm wide, widest at about mesothorax, abdomen gently tapering to poorly developed anal lobes set close together. Each anal lobe membranous, with a stout flagellate seta 95–100 Mm long. Antennae 180–200 Mm long, seven-segmented, segments becoming narrower towards distal end, each segment with a few setae 25–60 Mm long except on terminal segment where longest seta about 70 Mm long; fleshy setae on segments 6 and 7 about 30 Mm long. Legs well developed, hind legs conspicuously longer than first and second legs; hind coxa 60–70 Mm long, hind trochanter + femur 170–190 Mm long, hind tibia + tarsus, stout, 280–320 Mm long. Claw slender, about 25 Mm long, with a small denticle near apex and with a pair of knobbed digitules noticeably longer than claw. Ratio of lengths of hind tibia + tarsus to hind trochanter + femur 1.68–1.88. Ratio of lengths of hind tibia to tarsus 0.82–1.00. Distal trochanteral seta about 30 Mm long. Hind coxa without translucent pores but with diagonal lines on anterior surface. Labium 70–80 Mm long, with three segments, shorter than clypeolabral shield. Eyes about 30 Mm in diameter. Anal ring ventral, situated a short distance from apex of abdomen, transversely oval, 30– 35 Mm wide, 15–20 Mm long, heavily sclerotized with a narrow anterior rim, non-cellular, with only a pair of short setae 15–25 Mm long.

Dorsal surface with flagellate setae only, 7.5–25.0 Mm long, in more or less single transverse rows mainly across middle of segments; longest setae present on head and thorax.

Ventral surface with flagellate setae similar to those on dorsum. Macrotubular ducts about 12.5 Mm long, 2.5 Mm wide, with a hyaline oval rim about 5.0 Mm wide, present usually singly and submedially on abdominal segments VI and VII, a little more numerous across medial areas of anterior abdominal segments and metathorax and in small groups of two to four present medially on prothorax and mesothorax. Quinquelocular pores, each about 5.0 Mm in diameter, present in small groups of four or five closely associated anteriorly to each mesothoracic spiracle and in groups of two to five next to each metathoracic spiracle.

Material examined

Holotype: adult ♀, New Caledonia, Mt Koghis , inducing galls on leaves of Metrosideros sp. , 5 October 1978 (coll. J. S. Dugdale), No. 13 ( NZAC) . Paratypes: New Caledonia, same data as holotype, two adult ♀♀ ( NZAC), two adult ♀♀ ( BMNH) .

Etymology

The name is based on the name of the plant genus Metrosideros in the Latinized genitive, meaning of or from.

Comments

The adult female of this species is easily distiguishable from that of R. dugdalei in having hind legs conspicuously longer than the first and second pairs of legs.

Figures

Figure 5. Rhopalotococcus metrosideri sp. nov., adult female.