Asterolecaniidae Cockerell 1896
Creators: name: Hodgson, Chris
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Asterolecaniidae

description: ASTEROLECANIIDAE Cockerell 1896
Asterolecanium Targioni Tozzetti 1868, 734. Type species: Coccus aureus Boisduval by monotypy. (= Lecanium epidendri, Bouche).
Introduction. The family Asterolecaniidae currently includes 24 genera and 244 species (García Morales et al. 2019). The family has a widespread geographic distribution, and occurs on many plant families but most species are specialists on bamboos (Poaceae, Bambusoideae). A few species are gall-inducers. Molecular studies (Gullan & Cook 2007; Yokagawa & Yahara 2009; Vea & Grimaldi 2016) suggest that the Asterolecaniidae are sister to Kermesidae, Kerridae, Cerococcidae and Lecanodiaspididae. Based on adult male morphology, this family was found to be closest to the Cerococcidae and Lecanodiaspididae (Hodgson & Hardy 2013). To-date, the males of 4 species of Asterolecaniidae have been fully described and illustrated (A. proteae Giliomee & Munting (Giliomee & Munting, 1968), Bambusaspis transversa Łagowska & Martin (Łagowska et al. 2015), Grammococcus adetocorymbus Miller & Lambdin (Miller & Lambdin 1978) and Sclerosococcus chilensis Lambdin (Lambdin 1986), whilst a fifth species was partially described, G. corymbus Miller & Lambdin (Miller & Lambdin 1978). The following family diagnosis is based on the above published descriptions and also on the 5 adult males described below.
Family diagnosis based on adult male morphology (Figs 70–74). Body. Small; abdomen basically parallelsided and then narrowing to penial sheath; body with very few setae, all hs; loculate pores absent but simple pores often present on head. Head. Mid-cranial ridge well-developed ventrally; postoccipital ridge absent or represented
by a pair of diagonal ridges; genae without setae; genae sometimes with a genal protuberance; with two pairs of simple eyes; ocellus absent; preocular ridge extending dorsally and curving around dorsal eye; postocular ridge touching or almost touching posterior margin of dorsal eye and extending medially almost to preoccipital ridge; ocular sclerite heavily reticulated; ventral head setae usually in a band anterior to ventral eyes; antennae 9 or 10- segmented; antennae sometimes with very long setae (bristles?); other antennal setae probably mainly fs; antennal flagellar segments with 3 or 4 capitate setae on apical segment. Thorax: prothorax: prosternum with a weak transverse ridge, strongest laterally; prosternum with a long, strong median ridge which extends between procoxae; prosternal setae absent. Mesothorax: prescutum distinctly wider than long; membranous area of scutum without scutal setae, but often with reticulations; scutellum tubular, with a foramen; postmesospiracular setae absent; basisternum with a strong medial ridge; basisternum without setae; furca without a distinct waist; area bounded anteriorly by scutellum and laterally by mesopostnotum either striated or reticulated. Metathorax: metatergal setae absent; metasternum without setae; postmetaspiracular setae absent. Wings: alar setae absent; alar lobes absent; hamulohalteres absent. Legs: trochanter elongate, with trochanter sensilla in a line; tibia without tibial spurs; tarsal campaniform sensilla present; tarsi 1 segmented; tarsi unusually long, almost as long as tibia; tarsi with many spur-like setae; tarsal digitules capitate; claw digitules capitate; claws long and narrow, without a denticle. Abdomen: tergites represented by narrow reticulations; dorsal abdominal setae absent; one pleural seta on each side of most segments; ventral abdominal setae restricted to posterior 3 segments: segment VIII usually with a strong sternite; glandular pouches absent; caudal extensions small or absent; segment VIII with a moderately long pleural seta; segment IX fairly broad and fused to style; style usually quite long and pointed; basal rod present, extending from base of aedeagus almost to posterior margin of VIII; membranous basal area present; aedeagus reaching to end of style.
Key to known adult males of Asterolecaniidae
1. Penial sheath short, no longer than width of anterior margin of abdominal segment IX............................................................. Grammococcus adetocorymbus Miller & Lambdin & G. corymbus Miller & Lambdin *
- Penial sheath much longer than width of anterior margin of abdominal segment IX................................. 2
2. Antennae 9 segmented................................................................................. 3
- Antennae 10 segmented................................................................................ 4
3. Simple pores present in a group near each scape on dorsal surface. Scutellar foramen small.............................................................................................. Asterodiaspis alba (Takahashi) (Fig. 70)
- Simple pores absent from head. Scutellar foramen large........................... Asterolecanium petrophilae Fuller
4. Antennae with extremely long setae (probably antennal bristles) on some antennal segments, each much longer than length of an antennal segment.................................................................................. 5
- Antennae without setae longer than length of each segment................................................... 8
5. Apical antennal segment more than twice as long as antennal segment IV. Longest setae on each antenna up to 100 μm long..................................................................... Bambusaspis delicata (Green) (Fig. 71)
- Apical antennal segment about as long as antennal segment IV. Longest setae on each antenna not nearly 100 μm long.... 6
6. Penial sheath (segment IX + style) short and broad, total length no more than about twice anterior width of segment IX............................................................................. Hsuia cheni Borchsenius (Fig. 74)
- Penial sheath (segment IX + style) about 3x longer than anterior width of segment IX.............................. 7
7. Membranous area on scutum with polygonal reticulations. All setae on penial sheath (segment IX + style) very short, only slightly longer than width of basal sockets.................................... Bambusaspis longa (Green) (Fig. 72)
- Membranous area on scutum without polygonal reticulations. All setae on penial sheath (segment IX + style) much longer than width of basal sockets.............................................. Bambusaspis transversa Łagowska & Martin
8. Penial sheath very long, subequal to length of abdomen. Abdominal segment VIII with some loculate pores in position of glandular pouches............................................................. Sclerosococcus chilensis Lambdinǂ
- Penial sheath short, no longer than about width of 3 posterior abdominal segments. Abdominal segment VIII without loculate pores.............................................................................................. 9
9. Ventral head setae present in a transverse band anterior to each ventral simple eye. Ventral mid-cranial ridge setae absent................................................................... Russellaspis proteae (Giliomee & Munting)
- Ventral head setae absent from anterior to each ventral simple eye. Ventral mid-cranial ridge setae present.............................................................................. Asterolecanium petrophilae (Fuller) (Fig. 73)
Note.* The descriptions of these two species in Miller and Lambdin (1978) are not sufficiently detailed to separate them. ǂ The description of the abdominal segmentation of S. chilensis in Lambdin (1986) is likely to be incorrect. The loculate pores are almost certainly on segment VIII rather than on segment VII. In addition, he misspells Sclerosococcus as Sclerococcus in the title and in the caption to the figure.
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 179-182, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4765.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3774174