Leucaspis gigas
Creators: name: Hodgson, Chris
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Diaspididae
Leucaspis
Leucaspis gigas

description: Leucaspis gigas (Maskell) (Fig. 60)
Diaspis gigas Maskell 1879, 201 –202. Type data: New Zealand, Christchurch, Riccarton Bush. Lectotype, female, by subsequent designation (Boer & Valentine, 1977, 155). Type depository: NZAC.
Fiorinia gigas (Maskell); Fernald 1903, 248. Change of combination.
Leucaspis gigas (Maskell); Lindinger 1906, 27. Change of combination.
Leucaspis myersi Green 1929, 386 –389. Type data: New Zealand, South Island, Wellington, on Pseudopanax crassifolium, 14/09/1921. Syntypes, female. Type depository: BMNH. Junior synonym, Boer & Valentine 1977, 155.
Material examined. New Zealand,AK, Hunna Road, Workman Track, on Mida salicifolia (Santalaceae), 18.v.2002, R.C. Henderson (NZAC, 02–134c): 1/3ad ♂♂ (good). Also New Zealand, NN, Kawatiri Junction, on Grisilinia littoralis (Grisiliniaceae) leaves, 22.ix.1994, J.S. Dugdale (NZAC, 04–265): 1/2ad ♂♂ (good).
Description from all 5 specimens.
Mounted material. Small, total body length 1.5–1.7 mm. Body setae few, all hs; antennae and legs with fs. Antennae more than half body length, with long fs. Pores absent. Wings without alar setae or sensilla. Legs with a long trochanter; tarsi with bifurcated setae. Style and aedeagus needle-like.
Head. Somewhat rounded anteriorly and elongate; attached to thorax by a broad neck; width across genae (g) (pronotal ridge) 244–260 μm. Median crest (mc) broad, lightly sclerotised; with 2 pairs of short hs dorsal head setae laterally; postoccipital ridge (por) heavily sclerotised, with 2 short arms extending anteriorly and 2 long arms posteriorly, extending almost into prothorax; each anterior arm with a dorsal seta. Mid-cranial ridge (mcr) well developed, with 3 or 4 long hs anteriorly; lateral arms of mid-cranial ridge (lmcr) absent; ventral mid-cranial ridge (vmcr) with 4 or 5 pairs of long hs posteriorly and with 6–11 long hs mid-cranial ridge (interocular) setae medially. Genae (g) not reticulated, each with 2 setae. Simple eyes (se): 2 pairs; ventral eyes marginally larger than dorsal eyes, dorsal eyes 29–36 μm, ventral eyes 46–50 μm. Ocelli (o) oval, placed laterally just anterior to postoccipal ridge, each about 18 μm wide. Ocular sclerite (ocs) lightly sclerotised, without setae. Preocular ridge (procr) short dorsally, extending medially from base of each antenna and fusing with margins of median crest; ventrally quite long, extending from each antenna to dorsad to each ventral simple eye. Postocular ridge (pocr) long, extending anterodorsally from near mouth onto dorsal surface to just below each dorsal simple eye. Preoral ridge (pror) narrow. Cranial apophysis (ca) long, 70–72 μm long, extending anteriorly between ventral simple eyes (vse). With a pair of tentorial pits (tpt) just anteromedially to anterior coxae.
Antennae. Ten segmented, segments III–VII subequal in length, then becoming shorter near apex. Total length 825–850 μm. Scape (scp) 40–45 μm long, 45 μm wide, without any setae or reticulations. Pedicel (pdc) 29–42 μm long, 25–35 μm wide, with reticulations more or less throughout, each with 3–5 setae (hs+fs). Segments III–IX parallel-sided, all 18–20 μm wide; with many setae, mainly fs; segment lengths (μm): III 103–108; IV–VII each 99–120; VIII 95 and IX 75–80; approximate number of setae: III 12–16 fs, IV 17 or 18 fs; V 18–20 fs + 0 or 1 hs; VI 17–21 + 2 hs; VII 21 or 22 + 2 or 3 hs; VIII 16 or 17 + 1 or 2 hs and IX 17–20 + 1 or 2 hs. Segment X contricted and pointed, 70–75 μm long, with about 12 fs, 1 or 2 antennal bristles (ab), 2 capitate setae (cs) laterally plus another on apex.
Thorax. Prothorax: pronotal ridge (prnr) present but not nearly touching on dorsum and not reaching proepisternum + cervical sclerite (pepcv) ventrally; pronotal sclerite (prn) narrow. Post-tergites (pt) present, represented by a narrow sclerite on each side. Medial pronotal setae (mpns) absent but with 1 pair of lateral pronotal setae (lpns). Proepisternum + cervical sclerite (pepcv) not reaching mouth area. Sternum (stn 1) with a well-developed median and lateral prosternal ridges (lpns); with a pair of prosternal setae (stn 1 s). Tentorial pit (tpt) distinct. Anteprosternal setae ((astn 1 s) absent. Antemesospiracular setae (asp 2 s): 0 or 1 pair.
Mesothorax: prescutum (prsc) rather rectangular, 125–135 μm long, 180–190 μm wide; with some reticula- tions; prescutal ridge (pscr) well developed, prescutal suture (pscs) indistinct; without prescutal setae (prscs). Scutum (sct) without a median membranous area, but this area with longitudinal shallow ridges; with a single pair of scutal setae (scts) just anterior to lateral margins of scutellum (scl). Prealare (pra) and triangular plate (tp) quite well developed. Scutellum (scl) very narrow, 165–182 μm wide, 30 μm long, with a small foramen; without scutellar setae (scls). Basisternum (stn 2) 105–116 μm long, 260 μm wide; without a median ridge (mdr); bounded anteriorly by a strong marginal ridge (mr) and posteriorly by strong precoxal ridges (pcr 2); without basisternal setae (stn 2 s); lateropleurite (lpl) narrow and perhaps heavily sclerotised; furca (f) broad basally, with each arm diverging strongly. Mesopostnotum (pn 2) and mesopostnotal apophyses (pna) well developed. Area bounded anteriorly by scutellum and laterally and posteriorly by mesopostnotum not sclerotised but with some faint longitudinal ridges. Mesepisternum (eps 2) not reticulated; subepisternal ridge (ser) well developed; mesopleural apophysis (pla 2) narrow. Postalare (pa) not reticulated anteriorly; without postalare setae (pas). Mesothoracic spiracle (sp 2) small, 18–21 μm wide. Postmesospiracular setae (pm 2 s) absent. Tegular (teg) present, with 1 large tegular seta (tegs).
Metathorax: metapostnotum (pn 3) present as a small sclerite; with 0 or 1 pair of metatergal setae (mts); dorsospiracular setae (dss) absent. Dorsal part of metapleural ridge (plr 3) and suspensorial sclerite (ss) present. Posteroventral part of metapleural ridge (plr 3) well developed; episternum (stn 3) mildly sclerotised, without postmetaspiracular setae (pm 3 s). Precoxal ridge (pcr 3) sclerotised and extending ventrally and fusing with metasternum (stn 3). Metepimeron (epm 3) quite long, without setae. Antemetaspiracular setae (am 3 s) absent. Metathoracic spiracle (sp 3) 20–23 μm wide. Metasternum (stn 3) lightly sclerotised; with 0 or 1 pair of metasternal setae.
Wings: each with microtrichia; length 1.20–1.45 mm; width 540–550 μm. Without alar setae (als) or alar sen- soria (sens); alar lobe (al) present. Hamulohalteres (h) each 75–77 μm long; hamulus 66–68 μm long.
Legs: metathoracic legs longest; coxae (cx) lengths (μm): I 82–90; II 90–95; III 87–90, each procoxa with two long setae on apex; with 6–13 setae (hs+fs). Trochanter (tr) + femur (fm) length (μm): I 180–190; II 182–190; III 200–210; protrochanter without ridges or teeth; trochanter long, with 3 setae, ventral distal seta long; femur III with 9–14 (hs+fs) setae. Tibia (tib) length (μm): 140–145; II 155–165; III 170–175; tibia III with 25–30 setae; with 2 tibial spurs, each about 35 μm long. Tarsi (tar) one segmented but with a distinct constriction proximally; lengths (μm): I 95–100; II 95–105; III 100–112; tarsus III with 25–40 setae, many bifurcated (bs), particularly on ventral surface; other setae rather spinose or spur-like; tarsal campaniform pores (tac) small; tarsal spurs (tars) not differentiated from other spur-like setae; tarsal digitules (tdt) capitate, shorter than claw. Claws long and thin, narrowing gradually, without a denticle; length 25–28 μm; each claw with 2 capitate digitules, each longer than claw.
Abdomen: segments I–VII with tergites (at) and sternites (as) lighly sclerotised medially. Caudal extension (ce) on segment VII rounded or absent. Dorsal abdominal setae (ads): I–VII each with 1 pair mediolaterally; pleural setae (aps): II–IV each with 1 dorsopleural setae, V–VII each with 2 setae on each side; ventropleural setae: I–IV each with 0 or 1 setae and V–VIII each with 2 setae on each side. Ventral abdominal setae (avs): II & III each with 1 pair hs; IV–VII each with 2 pairs. Abdominal segment VIII tube-like, without glandular pouches (gp) but with 2–4 longer hs dorsopleural setae (dpls).
Genital segments: style (st) and abdominal segment IX fused and strongly sclerotised; segment IX broad, about 95 μm wide, 54 μm wide; anus placed posteriorly; with 2 or 3 pairs of longer setae at point where segment IX and style fuse. Style broadest anteriorly, narrowing into a needle-like part posteriorly; total length of style 350–400 μm, narrowing from about 17 μm at anterior end to about 10 μm near apex; with 2 pairs of longish setae anteriorly near segment IX; style lacking small setae along narrow part but with a few sensoria along each margin. Aedeagus (aed) long and needle-like, narrowing slowly towards apex; length 375–400 μm; basal rod (bra) possibly absent.
Comment. Based on Nada and Mohammad’s (1984) description and illustration, the adult male of L. riccae is extremely similar to that of L. gigas differing mainly in having short antennal setae, each about the width of an antennal segment, whereas those on L. gigas are much longer.
For comments on the relationship of L. gigas, see under the description of Labidaspis myersi below.
description: Published as part of Hodgson, Chris, 2020, A review of neococcid scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccomorpha) based on the morphology of the adult males, pp. 1-264 in Zootaxa 4765 (1) on pages 147-150, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4765.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3774174