Sterculicoccus tafoensis Hodgson 2008, sp. n.
Creators: name: Hodgson, Chris
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Coccidae
Sterculicoccus
Sterculicoccus tafoensis

description: <i>Sterculicoccus tafoensis</i> Hodgson, sp. n. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: E30D4191-C87F-472A-A2FF-B745A2954F05 <b>Material studied. Holotype female: Ghana (Gold Coast), Tafo, on <i>Triplochiton scleroxylon</i> K. Schum. (Sterculiaceae), 5.XI.1945, E.O. Boafo (BMNH): 1/1 ad &amp;female; in good condition.</b> <b>Paratype</b> &amp;female;. As for holotype: 5/5 ad &amp;female; in fair to good condition (BMNH, USNM). <b>Adult female</b> (Fig. 1) <b>Unmounted material.</b> Not seen. <b>Mounted material.</b> Broadly oval, body length 2.4-5.4 mm; width 2.0- 4.5 mm. Basic structure as in generic diagnosis. <b>Dorsum.</b> Derm membranous, apart from a narrow crescentic sclerotisation around anterior margin of anal cleft. Derm with abundant small areolations, each polygonal in shape, with a central dorsal microductule. Dorsal setae variable: (i) a larger slightly spinose seta with a sharp apex and well-developed basal socket; each 16-18 µm long; apparently restricted to a broad submarginal band, plus a few occasionally up margins of anal cleft; (ii) a slightly smaller, more setose seta, each 12-16 µm long, in a broad area around anal plates, and (iii) a short, fine seta, each about 8-15 µm long, frequent throughout rest of dorsum, but also with 0-3 setae up to 100 µm long on either side of large areolation dorsad to mouthparts. Dorsal pores of 2 types: (i) a small convex, closed pore, each about 3 µm wide, frequent throughout; and (ii) a small microductule with a narrow outer ductule about 5 µm long, with sclerotised pore about 1.0- 1.5 µm wide and an inner ductule quite long and swollen at proximal end; abundant throughout with one in each areolation. Dorsal tubular ducts, dorsal tubercles and preopercular pores absent. Anal plates together approximately oval, each plate with a rounded outer angle and with dorsal surface covered in micro-ridges arranged in a polygonal pattern; without a small additional triangular anal plate between lateral plates anteriorly; each plate 185-210 µm long, combined width 140-165 µm; each plate with 4 setae; 2 along inner margin, 1 near apex (each 33-38 µm long) and one dorso-laterally 45-50 µm long. Ano-genital fold possibly absent; posterior opening of anal tube apparently with a sclerotised O-shaped margin, with a group of 10-18 short setae, each 25-35 µm long, medially between ventral arms of anal ring posteriorly. Anal plates without strong inner apodemes. Anal ring with 3 pairs of anal ring setae, each about 125 µm long, all setae attached to ventral half of anal ring; anal ring apparently without anal ring pores; anal tube quite short, anal ring lying beneath anal plates. Eyespots not detected. <b>Margin.</b> Marginal setae all short and spinose with parallel margins, each 11-17 µm long, in a marginal band 2-3 setae wide; basal socket broad; with several hundred around margin, appearing to be on ventral surface; setae on margins of anal lobe not differentiated. Stigmatic clefts absent or extremely shallow, each with a small area of sclerotisation on venter which encloses outermost spiracular disc-pores; without stigmatic spines. <b>Venter.</b> Derm entirely membranous. Pregenital disc-pores quite large, each 8-10 µm wide, with mainly 5 or 6 loculi; restricted to a small group of 18-30 (total) apparently posterior to anal opening, probably with 8-20 on each side. Spiracular disc-pores each mainly with 5 loculi, present in a wide band between spiracles and margin, with perhaps 45-55 in anterior band and 50-70 in posterior band. Ventral microducts, each with ductule about 5 µm long and pore perhaps 2 µm widest; abundant throughout but perhaps least frequent medially on abdomen. Other ventral pores, including preantennal pores, absent. Ventral tubular ducts of 2 types: (i) ducts with a long, narrow outer ductule (each about 25 µm long and 2 µm wide), with a narrow, much shorter inner ductule about 14 µm long, and with a fairly small glandular end; in a fairly broad submarginal band, which extends medially past spiracles; also with a few on either side of mouthparts; absent medially on thorax and abdomen; (ii) much larger ducts, each with a long, narrow outer ductule about 33-40 µm long and 3 µm wide, with a sclerotised outer orifice, and a narrow, much shorter inner ductule about 20-28 µm long, and a fairly small glandular end; present in a dense marginal band about 2-3 ducts wide, intermingled with marginal setae. Ventral setae abundant, particularly submarginally, where quite fine, each 7-9 µm long, with a wide basal socket; some medially rather longer, longest about 27 µm long; pregenital setae not differentiated; with 2 pairs of interantennal setae, these similar to ventral submarginal setae, each 16-28 µm long. Antennae greatly reduced, each about 80-105 µm long; with 6 ring-like segments; scape with 3 setae, 1 long and flagellate (about 40 µm long); pedicel with 2 setae, both long and flagellate + a campaniform sensilla; segment III with 3 setae, IV &amp; V with 1 fleshy seta + 1 hair-like seta, and VI with 3 fleshy setae, 2 hair-like setae and 3 stiff setae. Mouthparts proportionately rather large; clypeolabral shield about 365-410 µm long; labium with 4 pairs of setae. Spiracles large, each with a large apodeme; each anterior peritreme 130-150 µm wide, posterior peritreme 140-165 µm wide; length of apodemes about 88-100 µm. Legs extremely reduced but with large coxal apodemes; segmentation difficult to discern but each coxa with long, flagellate setae (each 58-65 µm long), trochanter + femur with 1 long flagellate seta and, on each side, 2 campaniform sensilla; tibia + tarsus very short, with one short seta; tarsal digitules parallel-sided and about 33 µm long; claw digitules similar but shorter, each 26-28 µm long; claw about 13 µm long, without a denticle. Vulva probably located between segments VII and VIII. <b>Comment.</b> <i>S. tafoensis</i> new species is the only species currently known in this genus but is readily separated from other possibly similar species by the presence of: (i) a reticulate pattern of microridges on the dorsal surface of the anal plates, (ii) the presence of two types of ventral tubular ducts, the larger ducts forming a marginal band and the smaller ducts in a broad submarginal band, and (iii) marginal setae of one type only, all spinose, in a band 2 to 3 setae wide around the entire margin, and not differentiated into stigmatic spines at each stigmatic area. <b>Etymology.</b> The specific name <i>tafoensis</i> is composed of <i>Tafo</i>, the name of the site in Ghana where this species was collected, and <i>-ensis</i> (Latin), a suffix denoting place or locality.
description: Published as part of <i>Hodgson, Chris, 2008, A new genus and two new species of soft scale insect (Sternorrhyncha, Coccoidea, Coccidae) from Africa, pp. 57-76 in ZooKeys 3 (3)</i> on pages 59-62, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.3.45, http://zenodo.org/record/576418