Tetralicia agrifoliae von Ellenrieder & Gill 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ellenrieder, Natalia Von
name: Gill, Raymond J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Aleyrodidae
Tetralicia
Tetralicia agrifoliae

description: Tetralicia agrifoliae von Ellenrieder & Gill, sp. nov.
Figs 4, 43–49
Etymology. This species is named after the specific epithet of its host, Quercus agrifolia.
Type material. 26 slide mounted puparia: U.S.A., California: Riverside County: Holotype (circled with red on slide), Blue Jay Road & Ortega Highway, on Quercus agrifolia, 19.iii.1986, R.J. Gill coll. [CSCA]; 3 paratypes, same data as holotype [CSCA]; San Diego County: 9 paratypes, San Luis Rey River Day Use Area, Highway 76, on Quercus agrifolia, 18.iii.1986, R.J. Gill coll. [CSCA]; 1 paratype, Warner Springs, on Quercus sp., 14.ii.1964, Dan Gerling coll. [USNM]; 1 paratype, Tecate, on Quercus sp., 9.xii.1964, Duke coll. [USNM]; Los Angeles County: 1 paratype (specimen circled with red on slide), Mt. Baldy, on oak, vi.1930 [CSCA].
Additional material examined. 1 dry mounted puparium: U.S.A., California, Riverside County, Blue Jay Road & Ortega Highway, on Quercus agrifolia, 19.iii.1986, R.J. Gill coll. [CSCA].
Hosts. Fagaceae: California live oak (Quercus agrifolia, Quercus sp.).
Description.
Field characteristics. Puparium black, rounded oval, lacking a caudal protuberance, lacking dorsal wax and with a wide lateral fringe of filamentous wax curling beyond submargin (Fig. 4).
Slide-mounted characters. TMS ending at submargin, not extending over it, 'U' shaped, with transverse section almost straight and distal ends bent at almost 90 degrees, not lined with tubercles medially (Figs 43, 44); longitudinal molting suture lined with tubercles from TMS to head submargin; eyespots present, oval; Ce, T2 and T3 setae present; T3 setae arising well behind anterior margin of metanotum (Figs 43, 44); medial area lacking depressions, with large rounded tubercles forming a reticulated pattern on head, T1, and anterior portion of T2, and with a row of large squarish tubercles across anteromedial margin of each A1–A7 (Fig. 43) and a toothed promontory on anterior margin of A8 (Figs 43, 46), with pores and porettes on each side of submedial area of head (0–4), T2 (0–2), T3 (0–2), A1 (0–1), A2 (0–1), A3 (0–1), A4 (0–1), A5 (0–2), A6 (0–1), A7 (0–1), and A8 (0–1); lateral areas of dorsal disc with large rounded tubercles forming a reticulated pattern, with pairs of pores and porettes along sides of dorsal disc; dorsal submargin with large rounded tubercles decreasing in size into small granulations towards margins (Figs 44, 48); deflexed submargin with a row of pores and covered by uniformly distributed granulations across its entire width (Fig. 45); marginal glandular teeth subquadragular with tips smoothly rounded (Fig. 45); VO subcordate, inset from posterior margin by more than its own length; operculum cordate, its dorsal surface with longitudinal and transverse ridges and wavy striations in between, with microspinulae across distal third to fourth; lingula concealed by operculum; VO ring very narrow around lateral and posterior sections of VO, with anterior portion wide, open antero-medially, and forming an ear-like promontory on each anterior corner (Fig. 46), with dorsal setae of A8 arising anterior to level of anterior margin of operculum (Fig. 48); bases of caudal setae close together, within level of operculum lateral margins (Fig. 49); with two membranous ventral sacs medially to bases of mesothoracic legs; leg bases and entire venter extensively covered with spinulae (Fig. 47).
Measurements (values of holotype in square brackets). Puparium length: 812 ± 82 [892]; maximum width (between level of T2/T3 suture and A1): 607 ± 62 [684]; length/maximum width: 1.3 ± 0.1 [1.3]; width at level of anterior margin of operculum: 366 ± 53 [441]; maximum width/width at anterior margin of operculum: 1.7 ± 0.1 [1.7]; deflexed submargin/body radius: 0.6 ± 0.1 [0.6]; Ce setae: 7 ± 1.7 [missing]; T2 setae: 13 ± 4 [12]; T3 setae: 15 ± 4 [17]; dorsal A8 setae: 99 ± 18 [117]; caudal setae: 52 ± 8 [46]; anterior marginal setae: none visible; posterior marginal setae: 21 ± 5 [not visible]; ventral A8 setae: 27 ± 3 [29]; VO ring length: 68 ± 5 [71]; VO ring width: 92 ± 25 [90]; VO ring length/width: 0.8 ± 0.1 [0.8]; caudal seta/VO ring length: 0.7 ± 0.1 [0.6]; caudal seta/operculum length: 1.3 ± 0.2 [1.1]; VO length: 42 ± 3 [43]; VO width: 45 ± 4 [49]; VO length/width: 0.9 ± 0.1 [0.9]; operculum length: 38 ± 3 [44]; operculum/VO length: 0.9 ± 0.1 [1] (see Table 1 for ranges).
Similar species. It resembles T. anahuac Carapia-Ruiz & Sánchez-Flores in Carapia-Ruiz et al., 2018 described from Mexico on Quercus sp. by its U-shaped transverse molting suture ending before submargin and dorsal reticulation pattern. It shares the combination of a rounded-oval puparium lacking a caudal protuberance, presence of eyespots, Ce setae, large rounded tubercles on lateral areas of dorsal disc, TMS not reaching apparent margin, and hosts with T. abnormis and T. nevadensis.
Diagnosis. It differs from T. anahuac, T. mexicana, and T. xalapensis Sánchez-Flores et al. 2018, all of which also occur on Quercus (characters for the other species in square brackets, those for T. anahuac and T. xalapensis taken from Carapia-Ruiz et al. 2018 and Sánchez-Flores et al. 2018 respectively), by puparium rounded oval lacking a caudal protuberance (Figs 43, 48, 49) [puparium elliptical oval with a caudal protuberance; Figs 142, 143, 149, 150], dorsal A8 setae longer than caudal setae (Figs 48, 49) [dorsal A8 setae shorter than caudal setae; Table 1], and venter extensively covered with spinulae (Fig. 47) [smooth except for wide irregular band of spinules medial to leg bases and around mouthparts; Fig. 147]. It further differs from T. anahuac and T. xalapensis by presence of Ce, T2, and T3 setae (Figs 43, 44) [absent] and VO ring subtriangular with each anterior corner partially separated from remainder of ring, not forming entirely independent protuberances (Figs 43, 48) [VO ring suboval with anterior corners not separated from remainder of ring in T. anahuac; with ear-like promontory on each anterior corner separated from remainder of ring forming entirely independent protuberances in T. xalapensis]. Other differences from T. anahuac include its wide marginal ring (Fig. 4) of curly wax [small ring], shorter (about 40–70 µm) caudal setae [about 90 µm], and smaller (length 700–970, width 490–690) puparium size [length 1,120, width 860]. It also differs from T. mexicana and T. xalapensis by its U-shaped (Figs 43, 44) transverse molting suture [W-shaped; Fig. 143, 144], dorsal setae of A8 (Fig. 48) arising anterior to level of anterior margin of operculum [at that level or posterior to it; Fig. 149], and bases of caudal setae close together, within level of operculum lateral margins (Fig. 49) [more widely separated, outside level of lateral margins of VO ring; Figs 143, 150]. It can be further distinguished from T. xalapensis by mediodorsal area of T2 and T3 devoid of large rounded tubercles (Figs 43, 44) [with tubercles], one row of squarish tubercles along anterior margin of A1–A7 (Figs 43, 46) [two rows of subcircular reticulation along anterior margin of each abdominal segment], and operculum surface lacking a 'W' shaped crest (Fig. 48) [with a 'W' shaped crest].
Tetralicia agrifoliae can be recognized from T. abnormis and T. nevadensis (characters for the latter two in square brackets) by its wide lateral fringe of filamentous wax (Fig. 4) [narrow lateral fringe, Fig. 1, or without noticeable wax formation respectively], TMS approximately 'U' shaped, with transverse section almost straight and distal ends bent at almost 90 degrees (Figs 43, 44) ['W' shaped, with transverse section bent caudally and distal ends bent at about 45 degrees; Figs 29, 151–153]. It further differs from T. abnormis by tubercles bordering longitudinal molting suture extending from TMS to level of mouthparts (Figs 43, 44) [tubercles bordering longitudinal molting suture extending from suture between T2/T3 to submarginal area; Figs 29, 30], lacking mediolateral depressions on head, T2, T3, and abdomen (Figs 43, 44, 46) [with mediolateral depressions on head, T2, T3 and abdomen; Figs 29, 30, 34], and lateral areas of dorsal disc and submargin with large rounded tubercles forming a reticulate pattern (Figs 43, 44, 46, 48) [lacking large tubercles; Figs 29–31, 34], and from T. nevadensis by eyespots oval (Figs 43, 44) [slit-like, narrowly transverse] and bases of caudal setae close together, within level of operculum lateral margins (Fig. 49) [widely separated, outside level of lateral margins of VO ring].
Remarks. Dooley et al. (2010: 10, 14) mentioned an undescribed species from Nevada (as Aleuropleurocelus sp. #2) also found on Quercus sp. with an oval puparium lacking a caudal protuberance and with oval eyespots. This short characterization could apply to T. agrifoliae, but examination of puparia of Aleuropleurocelus sp. #2 at USNM revealed that it represents a different species lacking cephalic and thoracic setae (Ian Stocks pers. comm.).
Distribution. Southern California (Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego Counties).
description: Published as part of Ellenrieder, Natalia Von & Gill, Raymond J., 2024, The genus Tetralicia Harrison (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae) in California, U. S. A., with the description of five new species and a redescription of Tetralicia granulata Sampson & Drews, 1941, pp. 1-129 in Zootaxa 5527 (1) on pages 14-16, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5527.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14021823