Beesoniidae Ferris 1950
Creators: name: Hodgson, Chris
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Beesoniidae

description: BEESONIIDAE Ferris, 1950
Beesonia Green 1926, 55. Type species: Beesonia dipterocarpi Green by monotypy and original designation.
Trichococcus Kanda 1941, 68 –72. Type species: Xylococcus napiformis Kuwana by monotypy and original designation. Junior synonym (Takagi 1987, 28).
Introduction. This family is currently (García Morales et al. 2019) considered to include 4 genera: Beesonia Green 1926, Danumococcus Takagi & Hodgson 2005, Limacoccus Bondar 1929 and Mangalorea Takagi (1992b). However, all recent cladistic analyses that have included Gallacoccus Beardsley (1971) (Cook & Gullan 2004; Hodgson in Takagi & Hodgson 2005; Gullan & Cook 2007; Hodgson & Hardy 2013; Kondo et al. 2016) have found that Gallacoccus (previously included in the Eriococcidae) falls within the Beesoniidae. On this basis, Gallococcus (along with Echinogalla Takagi, 2001) is here discussed within the Beesoniidae.
All of these genera bar Limacoccus induce highly characteristic galls on their host plants. Limacoccus has a restricted neotropical distribution, known only from Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Venezuella, and feeds exclusively on palms which they can seriously damage (Foldi 1995). Although Foldi’s morphological phylogenetic analysis (1995) suggested that Limacoccus was close to Beesonia and Mangalorea, this will only be supported by further work, particularly on the adult male and with molecular studies. Males of none of the four known species of Limacoccus have yet been described, although nymphal males are known (Foldi 1995). The other five genera occur in Asia (feeding on Fagaceae and Dipterocarpaceae) and Australia (on Myrtaceae). Adult males of many of these have been described (Beesonia napiformis (Kuwana) (Hu et al. 1995); Danumococcus parashoreae Takagi & Hodgson (Takagi & Hodgson 2005); Echinogalla pustulata Takagi, Gallacoccus secundus Takagi (Fig. 45), G. spinigalla Takagi and G. heckrothi Takagi (Takagi 2001), and Mangalorea hopeae Takagi (Takagi 1992b) (Fig. 44).
Family diagnosis based on morphology of adult males of Beesonia, Danumococcus, Echinogalla, Gallacoccus and Mangalorea (Figs 44–46). Body rather elongate, abdomen gradually narrowing to penial sheath; with abundant seta, almost all short, stout fs; loculate pores absent apart from those associated with glandular pouch. Head: simple pores absent; preocular ridge poorly developed (but extending posteriorly on B. dipterocarpi); interocular ridge absent; genal setae present; ocelli present or absent, when present almost touching postocular ridge; ocular sclerite without reticulations; postoccipital ridge well developed, with both anterior and posterior arms; antennae short, 4 (Beesonia, Mangalorea) to 5 or 6 segmented (Gallacoccus, Echinogalla); flagellar segments with both hs and short fat fs; capitate setae absent (except Beesonia spp.). Thorax: prosternal median ridge poorly developed or absent; prosternal setae often abundant and fs; prescutum with hs and/or fs setae; scutal setae mainly fs, present laterally and medially; scutellum with or without scutellar setae; postmesospiracular setae present, mainly stout fs; basisternum with basisternal setae; metasternum with many setae, mainly fs; metaprecoxal ridge absent; postmetaspiracular setae present; hamulohalteres absent; alar lobes absent; alar setae probably absent; trochanter with sensoria in a line on each side; tibial spurs either absent or not differentiated; tibia and tarsi sometimes fused; tarsi 1 segmented; tarsal digitules setose or capitate; claw digitules capitate, claws narrow with a small denticle. Abdomen: fs abundant on both dorsum and venter; glandular pouches present or absent (Danumococcus) on segment VIII; glandular pouch setae generally short; caudal extensions absent; segment IX particularly large on B. dipterocarpi; abdominal segment IX and style fused; penial sheath with few setae, all hs and short; penial sheath broad anteriorly, becoming sharply pointed posteriorly and about twice as long as basal width.
Key to genera here included in the Beesoniidae based on adult male morphology.
1. Glandular pouches absent. Antennae 7 segmented;.................... Danumococcus parashoreae Takagi & Hodgson
- Glandular pouches present. Antennae with fewer than 7 segments.............................................. 2
2. Antennae appearing 3 or 4 segmented, with segment III longer than rest of antennal segments combined. Fleshy setae abundant on antennae and legs.................................................................................. 3
- Antennae clearly 5 or 6 segmented, third segment subequal in length to segment IV. Fleshy setae very few or absent from antennae and legs......................................................................................... 4
3. Antennae with digitate bunches of fs on segment III. Abdominal segment IX very broad, and style narrow, broadening near apex. Tibia and tarsus fused, without obvious segmentation..................... Beesonia dipterocarpi Green (Fig. 46)
- Antennae without digitate bunches of fs on segment III, fs all separate. Abdominal segment IX only slightly wider than style, latter not broadening near apex. Tibia and tarsus separate, with obvious segmentation.. Mangalorea hopeae Takagi (Fig. 44)
4. Bases of antennae almost touching. Coxae narrow, longer than broad. Leg and antennal setae few, but with a few fs on each tibia. Claw with a denticle........................................................ Echinogalla pustulata Takagi
- Bases of antennae about as wide apart as width of each scape. Coxae broad, each about as long as width of coxal base. Leg and antennae with abundant setae. Claw without a denticle....................................................... 5
5. All leg segments with short fat fs. Head very narrow, about a quarter width of prothorax. Scutum with mainly fs...................................................................................... Gallacoccus heckrothi Takagi
- At least coxae and trochanters on all legs without fs. Head at least one third or more as wide as width of prothorax. Scutum with few or no fs......................................................................................... 6
6. Dorsal simple eyes about twice as wide as ventral simple eyes. Head more than half as wide as width or prothorax.............................................................................. Gallacoccus secundus Green (Fig. 45)
- Dorsal simple eyes subequal in size to ventral simple eyes. Head less than half as wide as width or prothorax............ 7
7. Legs with many short fleshy setae on femur, tibia and tarsus. Glandular pouch setae about as long as penial sheath.................................................................................. Gallococcus longisetosus Takagi
- Legs either without short fleshy setae or with very few. Glandular pouch setae short, less than half as long as penial sheath. 8
8. Claws on all legs similar, much longer than basal width. Fleshy setae about 2+ times longer than width............................................................................................. Gallacoccus spinigalla Takagi
- Claw on prothoracic legs short and stout, about as long as wide, much shorter than on other legs. Fleshy setae very stout, almost ball-like, about as wide as long............................................ Gallococcus sp. (in Takagi et al. 2005)
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 107-108, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4765.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3774174