Ceroplastes royenae Hall

Hodgson, Chris J. & Peronti, Ana L. B. G., 2012, 3372, Zootaxa 3372, pp. 1-265 : 186-189

Ceroplastes royenae Hall

( Figs 84, 85; Map fig. 105)

Ceroplastes quadrilineatus var. royenae Hall, 1931: 297 .

Gascardia quadrilineata royenae (Hall) ; De Lotto, 1965: 182.

Gascardia royenae (Hall) ; Hodgson, 1969a: 34.

Material examined: Lectotype ♀ (here designated): Rhodesia [now Zimbabwe], (scratched on glass slide): on upper half: Ceroplastes / quadrilineatus / var. royenae Hall / Royena / pallens / Macheke / WJH 11/0/27; lower half: Cotype ♀ / 15.iii.30 (3) WJHall ( BMNH): 1/2 (fair, lectotype top specimen).

Paralectotype ♀: remaining specimen on lectotype slide, plus: as for Lectotype ( BMNH): 2/4 (fair-poor) .

Also: Zimbabwe, Hatfield , on Pseudolachnostylis maprouneifolia , 5.iii.1967, C.J. Hodgson ( BMNH): 4/4 (mainly good) . South Africa, labelled C.? coniformis , no site, host or date, J. Nunn ( BMNH 22 /78): 2/5 (poor) .

Note. The following description is taken from both lots of Zimbabwean material. Data for South African material in (..) brackets.

Unmounted material. "In general appearance, the tests of the adult female are identical with those of [C.] quadrilineatus as shown in the photograph accompanying Newstead's original description. Closer examination of Rhodesian material, however, shows that the large pyriform bodies described by Newstead are wanting." ( Hall, 1931: 297). The test also differs in that "the colour is very dark grey to dull black relieved only by the conspicuous white stigmatic bands; the wax beneath the surface is very little paler but more transparent — certainly not white; the test is extremely hard, and the adult female as seen from the ventral aspect is brick red." ( Hall, 1931: 297).

Mounted material. Body probably rather roundly oval and convex, with distinct, quite deep, stigmatic clefts; dorsum with distinct but fairly small, lateral tubercles. Caudal process shallowly conical, set on posterior end of dorsum. Length 2–4 (3.3–4.0) mm, total width 1.7–3.0 (2.5–4.0) mm.

Dorsum. Derm membranous but becoming lightly sclerotised on older individuals; caudal process heavily sclerotised (poorly sclerotised), about 0.5–1.1 (0.87–1.05) mm long and 0.6–1.15 (0.95–1.13) mm wide. Derm apparently with 8 clear areas, each with several dorsal setae. Dorsal setae sharply spinose, about 1.5–2x longer than width of basal socket, length 6.5–8.0 (5–7) µm; basal socket width 4–5 (4.5–5.0) µm; rather abundant throughout, including all clear areas. Dorsal pores: (i) loculate microducts of rusci-type most abundant, each about 6.5 µm wide; those with 2 loculi few and most abundant in wax-plate lines, which are reasonably clear; pores with 3 satellite loculi not noted; and (ii) simple microducts probably restricted to clear areas, where sparse. Preopercular pores present in a more or less single transverse line of 13–18 (few–12). Anal plates together rather round; length of plates 155–170 (165–175) µm, width of both plates combined 165–185 (single plate 82–88) µm; each with 3 (4) longish dorsal setae, each 40–60 (45) µm long, apical seta about 25 µm long. Anal tube very short, only about half length of anal plates, about 85 µm long; anal ring setae each about 105–115 µm long.

Margin. Marginal setae setose, each about 15–30 (13–22) µm long, with 8–11 (6–8) anteriorly between eyespots, and (on each side) 3–8 (2–3) between eyespots and anterior stigmatic area, 3–8 (6–7) between stigmatic areas and an unknown number on either side of abdomen; each anal lobe perhaps with 2 or 3 (4) slightly longer setae, longest about 50–53 µm long. Stigmatic clefts quite deep, each with an elongate group of particularly blunt conical stigmatic setae extending in a broad group onto dorsum; each group about 2 times longer than wide; anterior groups with 22–56 setae and posterior groups with 28–58 setae (45–75 in each); most setae 6.5–10 (9–12) µm long and 6.5–10 (8–13) µm wide, many with an almost flat apex; each group generally with a noticeably larger seta about 15–16 (15–17) µm long and 13–14 (14) µm wide, located towards dorsal apex of group. Eyespots each 30–35 (28) µm wide.

Venter. Derm entirely membranous. Pregenital disc-pores abundant around genital opening (segment VII) and across preceding segment, but then rather sparse medially on all preceding segments but only present associated with anogenital folds on segment V. Spiracular disc-pores present in very broad bands of at least 150 (100+) pores (width greater than width of stigmatic spine group and about 3 times wider than spiracular peritremes) but with few, if any, extending medially. Ventral microducts showing nothing distinctive. Ventral tubular ducts absent in cephalic region but sparsely present associated with anogenital fold on abdominal segment III–VI, exact numbers uncertain; each with a filamentous inner ductule with a small glandular end; when seen from some angles, some inner ductule arising from sides of outer ductule. Submarginal setae frequent, each 10–13 µm long.

Antennae each with 6 segments, segment III generally with a hint of a pseudo-articulation; total length 250–275 (250–295) µm. Clypeolabral shield about 165–175 (170) µm long. Spiracles: width of peritremes 65–75 (65–90) µm. Legs well developed, tibio-tarsal articulation small or absent; each claw without a denticle; with 1 broad claw digitule and other slightly narrower, both shorter than tarsal digitules; dimensions of metathoracic legs (µm): coxa 115–125 (115–125); trochanter + femur 145–165 (128–145); tibia 90–105 (95–108); tarsus 65–70 (66–75), and claw 21–27 (24).

Discussion. C. royenae shows some similarity to C. uvariae in having each group of stigmatic setae narrower along the margin than the length of each group but differs in having: (i) only 3 large dorsal setae on each anal plate (thought to be 4 or 5 on C. uvariae ); (ii) dorsal setae clearly longer than the width of the basal socket and quite sharply pointed (shorter and blunter on C. uvariae ), and (iii) many fewer stigmatic setae in each group (less than 75 rather than well over 100). In addition, C. royenae has only been recorded from southern Africa whereas C. uvariae is only known from Guinea, in West Africa. However, some (rather poor) material was studied from the Central African Republic (La Maboké, on Celtis zenkeri, Jan. 1968 , P. Teocchi (MNHN # 3558)) which appears to be this species and so C. royenae may be more widespread than the current records suggest.

Ceroplastes royenae is currently known from Zimbabwe on Ebenaceae and Euphorbiaceae and from South Africa on an unknown host.