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

description: Tetralicia mexicana (Carapia-Ruiz & Sánchez-Flores in Carapia-Ruiz, Sánchez-Flores, García-Martínez & Castillo-Gutiérrez, 2018)
Figs 142–150
Aleuropleurocelus mexicanus Carapia-Ruiz & Sánchez-Flores in Carapia-Ruiz, Sánchez-Flores, García-Martínez & Castillo-Gutiérrez, 2018b: 4.
Tetralicia mexicana: Valencia & Evans 2024: 220.
Material examined. 9 puparia: U.S.A., California: 2, on oak, R.S. Woglum coll. [USNM]; 2, Sierra Madre, on Quercus, 15.xii.1907, R.S. Woglum coll. [USNM]; Los Angeles County: 2, Monrovia, on oak, 3.x.1913, R.S. Woglum coll. [USNM]; 2, Los Angeles, on Quercus agrifolia, 2.xi.1942, R.H. Smith coll. [USNM]; San Bernardino County: 1, New York Mountains of E San Bernadino Co., on Quercus turbinella, 25.ix.1948, J.M. Tucker coll. [USNM].
Hosts. Described from Fagaceae: Quercus agrifolia and Quercus sp.; here recorded also from Q. turbinella.
Description.
Field Characteristics. Puparium elliptical oval, black with a small marginal ring of wax, located on underside of leaves (Carapia-Ruiz et al. 2018b).
Slide-mounted characters. TMS extending over submargin and ending before apparent margin (Fig. 145) or at apparent margin (Fig. 144), not lined with tubercles medially; longitudinal molting suture not lined with tubercles (Figs 143, 144); eyespots oval; Ce setae present; T2 and T3 setae present, T3 setae arising well behind anterior margin of metanotum; medial area of head with tubercles on a reticulate pattern (Figs 142–145), medial area of thorax with tubercles on a reticulate pattern limited to sides and area surrounding meso-metathoracic suture, with pores (1–5) and microsetae (1–3) on each side of medial and submedial areas of each head, meso and metathorax, central area of meso-metathorax with a patch of minute pores (Fig. 144) [not visible in excessively bleached specimens]; medial area of abdomen with two rows of tubercles adjacent to anterior margin of A1–7 and with a pair of large subconical tubercles on anterior margin of A8, with one row of tubercles adjacent to posterior margin of A1–7, and with paired pores and microseta on each side (Figs 148); anterolateral depressions on abdomen inconspicuous; lateral areas of dorsal disc with pores between dorsal disc and submargin and with reticulate pattern of tubercles (Figs 142–146); dorsal submargin with transverse rows of crests (Fig. 146); deflexed submargin with rounded granulations distributed uniformly except for a bare band adjacent to apparent margin, with a row of pores (Figs 147); marginal glandular teeth subquadrangular with tips rounded (Fig. 147, 150); VO oval, inset from posterior margin by more than its own length; operculum cordate, its dorsal surface with a few longitudinal ridges and with microspinulae across distal third to fourth; lingula concealed by operculum; VO ring oval, narrow (Fig. 149); dorsal setae of A8 arising lateral to VO ring, at level of anterior margin of VO ring to operculum (Fig. 149); bases of caudal setae widely separated, outside level of lateral margins of VO ring (Figs 150); with two membranous ventral sacs medially to bases of mesothoracic legs; venter smooth except for wide bands of spinulae medially to leg bases and around mouthparts (Fig. 147).
Measurements. Puparium length: 934 ± 37; maximum width (at level of T2): 639 ± 38; length/maximum width: 1.5 ± 0; width at level of anterior margin of operculum: 419 ± 33; maximum width/width at anterior margin of operculum: 1.5 ± 0; deflexed submargin/body radius: 0.4 ± 0.1; Ce setae: missing; T2 setae: missing; T3 setae: missing; dorsal A8 setae: missing or not visible; caudal setae:51 ± 3; anterior marginal setae: missing or not visible; posterior marginal setae: missing or not visible; ventral A8 setae: 28 ± 1; VO ring length: 51 ± 2; VO ring width: 52 ± 2; VO ring length/width: 1 ± 0.04; caudal seta/VO ring length: 1 ± 0.1; caudal seta/operculum length: 1.4 ± 0.1; VO length: 41 ± 2; VO width: 42 ± 1; VO length/width: 1 ± 0.04; operculum length: 37 ± 2; operculum/VO length: 0.9 ± 0.04 (see Table 1 for ranges).
Similar species. It shares the presence of eyespots, Ce setae, and dorsum with large tubercles forming a reticulate pattern on sides with Tetralicia agrifoliae and T. nevadensis which also occur on Quercus in California.
Diagnosis. It can be recognized from the two species mentioned above (characters for them in square brackets) by its puparium (Figs 142, 143) elliptical oval with a caudal protuberance [rounded oval lacking a caudal protuberance; Figs 43, 151, 152], smooth longitudinal molting suture (Figs 143, 144) [longitudinal molting suture lined with tubercles; Figs 43, 44, 151–153], transverse molting suture extending over submargin and almost reaching (Fig. 145) to reaching (Fig. 144) apparent margin [transverse molting suture ending well before apparent margin; Figs 43, 44, 151–153], and VO (Fig. 149) oval, narrow, and closed anteriorly [subtriangular with anterior portion wide and open antero-medially; Figs 46, 48, 155, 157]. It further differs from T. agrifolia by its W-shaped (Fig. 143, 144) transverse molting suture [U-shaped; Fig. 43, 44], dorsal setae of A8 arising at level of anterior margin of operculum (Fig. 149) [anterior to that level; Fig. 48], bases of caudal setae widely separated (Fig. 150), outside level of operculum lateral margins [close together, within level of operculum lateral margins; Fig. 49], venter with spinulae (Fig. 147) restricted to areas around mouthparts and legs [entire venter extensively covered with spinulae; Fig. 47], and from T. nevadensis by its oval eyespots (Figs 142–145) [slit-like; Figs 151–153].
Remarks. In the key in Valencia & Evans (2024: 211) this species is treated as lacking Ce setae. However, these were described as present in its original description (Carapia-Ruiz et al. 2018b: 4) and we observed their presence in all our specimens as well. This is the only species that we examined in which the extension of TMS seems to be somewhat variable, extending over submargin and ending before apparent margin (Fig. 145) or at apparent margin (Fig. 144).
Distribution. Described from Mexico; here recorded from Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties in Southern California.
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 42-44, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5527.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14021823