Apticoccus fortis, Vea & Grimaldi, 2015

Vea, Isabelle M. & Grimaldi, David A., 2015, Diverse new scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) in amber from the Cretaceous and Eocene with a phylogenetic framework for fossil Coccoidea, American Museum Novitates 2015 (3823), pp. 1-80 : 35-37

Apticoccus fortis , new species

Figures 9A , 10

TYPE LOCALITY: Lebanon: Central Lebanon: Mdeyrij / Hammana : Caza Baabda: Mouhafazet Jabal Loubnon. Lower Cretaceous .

TYPE: Holotype HAM-1669A, alate male, in a 3 × 2.5 × 0.5 mm yellow transparent rectangular amber piece, embedded in Canada balsam and mounted in epoxy between two coverslips; specimen entire and in good condition with wings spread, but pronouncedly darkened (resembling oxidation) and covered by a thin layer of bubbles; accessible views: ventral and dorsal; Dany Azar amber collection, provisionally deposited in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle.

ETYMOLOGY: The epithet is from the Latin adjective fortis , meaning “strong,” and refers to the more robust body shape compared to A. minutus and A. longitenuis , n. sp.

DIAGNOSIS: Apticoccus fortis , n. sp., differs from other Apticoccus spp. by the following characters: head very short, thorax wide, abdomen pear shaped, tergites wide and tapered posteriorly, penial sheath round with one pair of short setae, then abruptly thin and curved (ca. 1/5 body length).

DESCRIPTION: Body minute, total length 545 μm, largest width at mesothorax, 180 μm. Head: Short, difficult to observe, probably partially retracted into prothorax. Simple eyes visible ventrally, forming one row on each side, meeting medially. Probably six pairs of simple eyes (ca. 20 μm wide). Other head structures not observable. Antenna (fig. 10A): 10-segmented, with bases of antennae almost meeting anteriorly; total length ca. 220 μm, segments III–X narrower distally; lengths of segments (in μm): scape 20; pedicel 25; III 20–25; IV 25–30; V 25–30; VI 30; VII 30–40; VIII 10–15; IX 15; X 15, each with ca. 5–10 thick setae (ca. 20 μm long), setose and fleshy setae not differentiated. Apical segment with ca. 10

thick setae (probably bristles) forming a brush,

each 12–15 μm long. Thorax: Head and thorax not obviously separated. Prothorax membranous.

Ridges on prothorax not definable. Dorsally: prescutum suboval, slightly horizontally elongate,

well separated from scutum, without prescutal setae. Other mesothoracic structures hidden by wing. Ventrally: thoracic structures covered by a layer of bubbles, median ridge on basisternum not detected. Wings: Forewings elongate with narrow base, round apex; ca. 620 μm long, 260

μm at widest section; subcostal ridge extending from the base to a little less than 3/4 of wing length. Cubital ridge present and originating from base, extending posteriorly to about 1/2

wing length. Alar setae and sensoria absent, minute microtrichia present throughout wing surface. Alar lobes present. Hamulohalteres present,

wide, ca. 30 μm long, with two hamuli. Legs (fig.

10B): Long, robust, all subequal in length, cuticular reticulations absent; measurements of second pair of legs provided (forelegs not easily measurable); coxa not entirely visible but probably triangular; trochanter and femur 67 μm long, with FIGURE 10. Details of Apticoccus fortis , n. sp. (A) few, hairlike setae. Tibia length 100 μm, with few Antenna. (B) Leg. (C) Ventral view of penial sheath. short, hairlike setae; tarsus 1-segmented, 40 μm

long, tarsal spurs undifferentiated, tarsal digitules minutely clavate, longer than claw; claw robust, curved, claw digitule and denticle not detected. Abdomen: Pear shaped, 323 μm long (200 μm without genital segment), greatest width 117 μm, tapered gradually apicad. Tergites and sternites well developed and segmentation easy to delineate. Abdominal setae, pores and glandular pouches not observable. Genital segment (fig. 10C): Penial sheath elongate (123 μm), 1/5 the body length, width 30 μm, with one pair of setae of equal length on each side of penial sheath. Aedeagus long and pointed at apex, slightly curved. Eversible endophallus absent.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Photomicrographs of the new species of Apticoccus. (A) Dorsal surface of Apticoccus fortis, n. sp., holotype HAM-1669A. (B) Dorsal and (C) ventral surfaces of Apticoccus longitenuis, n. sp., holotype AD-20.