The American scale insect genus Udinia De Lotto (Coccidae)

Udinia, an Ethiopian coccid genus, is redefined and a key is given to the thirteen species now recognised: bruncki sp. n. , catori (Green) comb. n. [= Lecanium subhirsutum Newstead syn. n. ], farquharsoni (Newstead) [= U.exoleta (De Lotto) syn. n. ], glabra De Lotto, ikoyensis sp. n. , lobayana (Balachowsky & Ferrero) comb. n. , newsteadi sp. n. , nigeriensis sp. n. , pattersoni sp. n. , paupercula De Lotto, pterolobina De Lotto, scitula De Lotto, setigera (Newstead). Five species are described as new and three species are redescribed and for these lectotypes are designated. The morphological characters used are discussed and listed and intraspecific variations shown by two of the species are tabulated. The distribution of all the species is recorded on two maps and the literature dealing with associations between ants and Udinia and related coccid genera is briefly reviewed.     

Gonoid thelytoky in soft scale insects (Coccidae: Homoptera)

Cytological analysis of the thelytokous soft-scale insects Coccus hesperidum L. (2n=14) and Saissetia coffeae (Walker) (2n=16) revealed that while in both species the chromosomes did not pair during prophase I, meiosis consisted of two divisions, the chromosome number was reduced, and diploidy was restored by the fusion of the female pronucleus with the polar nucleus II. The difficulty of trying to classify this type of thelytoky as either automictic or apomictic led to the proposal that a new criterion and new terms be used to classify thelytoky (and parthenogenesis). The new criterion is whether the number of chromosome elements present in the first (or only) metaphase of oogenesis is the same as that present in the oogonia (gonoid thelytoky) or different from it (agonoid thelytoky). The new criterion is superior to the existing criteria because it is unambiguous, and because it groups together forms with a similar tendency towards heterozygosity (or homozygosity). The possible evolution of the forms analyzed as well as the two other thelytokous forms of each species described by Thomsen (1927) are discussed. Another soft-scale insect, Physokermes hemicryphus Dalam, consisted of a diploid (2n=18) and a triploid (3n=27) form, in both of which the chromosomes also did not pair. Each of the three species contained a strain in which only a single nucleolus was present per cell. In C. hesperidum some strains with two nucleoli differed in the size of the nucleoli.     

云南双蜡蚧蜡泌物的超微形态与化学成分

采用扫描电镜、红外光谱、气相色谱/质谱联用技术研究了云南双蜡蚧Dicyphococcus bigibbus Borchsenius（同翅目：蚧科）蜡泌物的超微结构和化学成分。结果发现：该虫的若虫与成虫分泌的蜡质从蜡腺排出初期均为湿蜡,在体外凝结形成质地稍硬而脆的玻璃状干蜡壳,蜡壳具有均匀脊和横层。幼期和雄性蜡壳小,船形,周缘带有蜡角,中央隆起。雌成虫蜡壳大,元宝形。蜡泌物的红外光谱吸收峰密集,峰型尖锐,种的特征明显。用红外光谱特征推断蜡泌物的主要基团和化学构成在GC/MS检测中得到印证。用甲酯化和非甲酯化两种处理方法检测证明,该虫蜡泌物主要成分是一系列高级的长链饱和与不饱和的烃、脂肪酸及酯类化合物。化合物的碳原子数从C₁₄～C₄₀,大部分为偶数个,特别是碳链长度在C₃₀～C₄₀的酯类化合物种类多,比例大。还将该蚧虫蜡泌物的特征与蚧科内近缘的蜡蚧属种类及瘤坚大球蚧、朝鲜毛球蚧、背刺毡蜡蚧、白蜡虫等作了对比,阐述了蜡泌物在蚧虫分类、系统学及防治中的意义。     

Aschersonia basicystis on scale insects (Homoptera: Coccidae) in Venezuela

The fungus Aschersonia basicystison scale insects (Homoptera: Coccidae) is described and illustrated on the basis of the examination of Venezuelan collections, using transmitted light and differential interference contrast optical microscopy.     

A revision of the scale insect genera Etiennea and Platysaissetia (Homoptera: Coccidae) with particular reference to Africa

Abstract. From a study of P.castilloae (Cockerell), the type species of Platysaissetia Cockerell, it is considered that none of the other species presently placed in Platysaissetia are congeneric. All known species from Africa (and one from British Guiana) are redescribed and are here transferred to the genus Etiennea Matile-Ferrero; one species is synonymized and twelve species are described as new. Lectotypes have been designated for Etiennea kellyi (Brain) and E.montrichardiae (Newstead). Although not considered to be congeneric with P.castilloae, P.tsaratananae Mamet and P.crustuliforme (Green) are left in Platysaissetia.     

Soft scale insects (Homoptera: Coccidae) on Tillandsia in Central America*

A new genus of soft scale insect (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae), Tillancoccus, and two new species T. mexicanus and T. tillandsiae are described and illustrated from the adult females. The new species are recorded from Tillandsia plants in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.     

瘤坚大球蚧蜡泌物的超微形态与红外光谱特征

采用扫描电镜和红外光谱技术研究了瘤坚大球蚧Eulecanium gigantea在不同发育阶段蜡泌物的超微形态和化学成分。结果发现：该虫在低龄期分泌湿蜡,最初在虫体背面凝结成晶体状的不同大小颗粒,接着连接成片状和块状构造,最后蜡质堆积形成龟背状蜡壳。蜡壳的各个板块与体壁上突起的腺孔分布区位置相对应。雄虫蜡壳与低龄期若虫蜡壳质地相同。雌成虫分泌的蜡质为长而卷曲的空心蜡丝。雌成虫背面和腹面蜡泌物的红外光谱特征说明二者所含的主要化学基团和成分是相同的。尽管雄虫蜡壳与雌虫的化学成分基本相似,但存在的官能团有明显差别,主要表现在雄虫蜡泌物光谱图上1736.3 cm^-1处出现两个吸收峰,而雌虫只有一个;在振动频率1 242.0 cm^-1～1 106.6 cm^-1出现3个C-O键振动峰,而雌虫的是一系列锯齿状长碳链-C-C-C-骨架振动峰。根据红外光谱特征分析,推测该虫蜡泌物的化学成分可能主要是由长链烃、长链脂肪酸、脂肪醇和某些带芳香环的化合物组成。     

朝鲜毛球蚧蜡泌物的超微形态与红外光谱特征

采用扫描电镜和红外光谱技术研究了朝鲜毛球蚧Didesmococcus koreanus在不同发育阶段蜡泌物的超微形态和化学成分。结果发现：该虫在低龄期的蜡泌物的形态是长丝状,到3龄和成虫期是由湿蜡凝结成不同大小的颗粒,块状和片状。雄虫蜡壳是薄蜡片构成,表面呈鱼鳞状凹凸。低龄期若虫蜡泌物的红外光谱特征与雌成虫的十分相似,说明二者所含的主要化学成分是相同的,雄虫和低龄若虫及雌成虫蜡壳萃取物的红外光谱的吸收峰型基本一致,但在1 240.7 cm^-1处出现一个中等强度的特征峰,这充分说明3种蜡泌物的有机化合物种类和结构一致,只是雄虫分泌物与另二者比较具有特征官能团,从而,利用该吸收峰可以区别出雄虫。此外,根据红外光谱特征分析,可以知道该虫蜡泌物的化学成分主要为长链脂肪酸、脂肪醇和一些带芳香环的化合物。     

Maternal effects in the soft scale insect Saissetia coffeae (Hemiptera: Coccidae)

Effects of maternal environment on offspring performance have been documented frequently in herbivorous insects. Despite this, very few cases exist in which exposure of parent insects to a resource causes the phenotype of their offspring to be adjusted in a manner that is adaptive for that resource, a phenomenon called adaptive transgenerational phenotypic plasticity. I performed a two-generation reciprocal cross-transplant experiment in the field with the soft scale insect Saissetia coffeae (Hemiptera: Coccidae) on two disparate host plant species in order to separate genetic effects from possible transgenerational plasticity. Despite striking differences in quality between host species, maternal host had no effect on overall offspring performance, and I detected no "acclimatization" to the maternal host species. However, there was a significant negative association between maternal and offspring development times, with potentially adaptive implications. Furthermore, offspring of mothers reared in an environment where scale densities were higher and scales were more frequently killed by fungi were significantly less likely to suffer from fungal attack than were offspring of mothers reared in an environment where densities were low and fungal attack was rare. Although S. coffeae does not appear to alter offspring phenotype to increase offspring fitness on these two distinct plant species, it does appear that offspring phenotype may be responding to some subtler aspects of maternal environment. In particular, the possibility of induced transgenerational prophylaxis in S. coffeae deserves further investigation.     

Local maladaptation in the soft scale insect Saissetia coffeae (Hemiptera: Coccidae)

Local adaptation has often been documented in herbivorous insects. The potential for local maladaptation in phytophagous insects, however, has not been widely considered. I performed a two-generation reciprocal cross-transplant experiment with the generalist soft scale insect Saissetia coffeae (Hemiptera: Coccidae) on two common species of host plants in rain forest habitat in Costa Rica. In this system, S. coffeae showed significant local maladaptation at the level of the host species. Lineages originally collected from Witheringia enjoyed a strong advantage over those collected from Lomariopsis when both sets of lineages were placed on Lomariopsis; however, when both sets of lineages were raised on Witheringia, their fitnesses were statistically indistinguishable. While some aspects of the biology of S. coffeae may impair its ability to adapt to local selection pressures, scale insects are often locally adapted on fine spatial scales, and local maladaptation is therefore especially surprising. Other documented cases of local maladaptation in parasites appear to be due to evolution on the part of the host. The possibility that hosts or natural enemies may place local genotypes at a disadvantage, producing a pattern of local maladaptation, is one that deserves more consideration in the context of plant-insect interactions.     

Life history and natural enemy associations of calico scale (Homoptera: Coccidae) in Kentucky

Seasonal phenology of calico scale, Eulecanium cerasorum (Cockerell), was monitored for 3 yr on various deciduous tree species in central Kentucky. Infestations were found on 16 host species in six plant families. Calico scale is a univoltine parthenogenic species that overwinters as second instars on bark. Nymphs molted to adult females around mid-April and began producing eggs in late April. Mean fecundity ranged from 3,728 to 4,654 eggs per female, depending on host plant species. Date of first crawler hatch in 2001-2003 ranged from 21 to 26 May, corresponding to a mean accumulation of 818 +/- 2 Celsius degree-days (DDC), calculated from 1 January and a base of 4.4 degrees C. This value predicted crawler hatch within 2 d in Lexington, KY, in 2004. Crawler dispersal lasted 2 to 3 wk. Upon hatching, crawlers move to leaves where they feed during summer. Crawlers primarily settled on the abaxial side of leaves and their within-leaf distribution varied between different tree species. Settled crawlers molted in mid-July and second instars remained on leaves until late September through mid-October, when they returned to bark to overwinter. On hackberry, Celtis occidentalis L., they were concentrated toward the basal end of shoots, primarily because leaf flush continued beyond the end of the crawler dispersal period. Crawler distribution did not differ between upper and lower canopy zones. Fourteen species of parasitoids and a coccinellid beetle were reared from individual scales. Monitoring with sticky traps in tree canopies confirmed that targeting crawlers with insecticides during late May or June would not coincide with peak flight activity of the scale's primary parasitoids.     

中国蜡蚧科一新记录属（半翅目：蚧总科）

记述采自中国云南的1新记录属:类白蜡蚧属Ericeroides Danzig,1990及1新记录种:越南类白蜡蚧E.zaitzevi Danzig,1990。该新记录属近似于白蜡蚧属Ericerus Guérin-Méneville,二属均有成群气门刺及爪齿;主要区别是:类白蜡蚧属Ericeroides无背面管状腺及肛前孔,而白蜡蚧属Ericerus则有。文中对雌成虫形态特征进行了详细描述和绘图。     

Efficiency of certain miscible oils and chlorpyriphos methyl insecticide against the soft scale insect,Kilifia acuminata Signoret (Homoptera: Coccidae) and their toxicities on rats

Abstract

The toxicity and efficacy of using three miscible oils; cabl-2, citrole and bio-dux and a chemical insecticide (chlorpyrifos-methyl) were studied against a soft scale insect, Kilifia acuminata (Signoret) infesting mango trees. The sub-chronic toxicity of tested chemicals on white albino rats was also studied. Considering the general mean number of K. acuminata stages after 3 months post spraying, chlorpyrifos methyl and capl-2 were the most efficient compounds followed by citrol and bio-dux in descending order. Chlorpyrifos-methyl was the most effective treatment for all months after spraying, the mean reduction percentage being 94.10, 91.63 and 92.00% while it gave the highest toxic effect after three months; 90.27, 87.84 and 89.73% reduction in infestation on pre-adult, adult and gravid female stages, respectively. Results also indicate that the general mean percent reduction in K. acuminata infestation were 82.62, 86.67, 78.87 and 89.28% in treated trees by citrole, cabl-2, bio-dux and chlorpyrifos-methyl, respectively. Citrole, bio-dux, cabl-2 and chlorpyrifos-methyl caused significant increase in WBCs counts, ALT and AST activities of treated rats after 15 and 30 days from treatment comparison with control. Changes occurring in the creatinine concentration showed a significant increase in rats treated with the tested chemicals 30 days from treatment, except in the case of bio-dux oil, while there were no significant changes after 15 days in rats treated with tested oils. On the contrary, tested chemicals caused a significant decrease in RBCs count and hemogobin values after 15 and 30 days form treatment, except in rats treated with bio-dux oil. Hemoglobin content showed no significant changes over the same periods.     

A new species of Eriopeltis Signoret (Homoptera: Coccidae) from Britain

Abstract. Eriopeltis varleyi from Wytham in Britain is described as new. The adult female and male are described and all stages are illustrated. Keys are provided for the identification of all known species of Eriopeltis, and to the males of the three species known from Britain. E. varleyi is univoltine and apparently specific to Brachypodiumpinnatum (L.) Beauv. Males and females occur in equal proportions, but many more males were produced when populations were reared under very warm dry conditions in the laboratory. The population studied at Wytham was parasitized by a number of species of chalcid wasps and a chamaemyid fly egg predator.     

Description of a new soft scale insect of the genus Pulvinaria Targioni Tozzetti (Hemiptera,Coccoidea, Coccidae) from Bogota,Colombia

A new soft scale (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae) species, Pulvinaria caballeroramosae Tanaka & Kondo, sp. n., is described from specimens collected on twigs of Ficus soatensis Dugand (Moraceae) in Bogota, Colombia. The new species resembles Pulvinaria drymiswinteri Kondo & Gullan, described from Chile on Drimys winteri J.R. Forst. & G. Forst. (Winteraceae), but differs in the distribution of preopercular pores on the dorsum, the presence of dorsal tubular ducts, dorsal microducts, and reticulation on the anal plates; and in its feeding habits, i.e., Pulvinaria caballeroramosae feeds on the twigs whereas Pulvinaria drymiswinteri feeds on the leaves of its host. A key to the Colombian species of Pulvinaria Targioni Tozzetti is provided.     

The plam-feeding planthopper genus Ommatissus (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea: Tropiduchidae)

Abstract The tribe Trypetimorphini, the genus Ommatissus , and its two subgenera and eleven species are redescribed or described as new. Evidence for the monophyly of both the genus and of the tribe to which it belongs is examined; it is concluded that while the genus is monophyletic, the monophyly of the tribe is in doubt. Keys for the separation of the three genera of the tribe and for all of the known species of Ommatissus are presented. A new subgenus of Ommatissus is described: O.(Opatissus) , with the type-species O.vietnamicus . Four new species are described: Ommatissus magribus from Morocco, O.kamerunus from Cameroon, O.natalensis from South Africa and O.vietnamicus from Vietnam. The 'Dubas bug', Ommatissus lybicus Bergevin, formerly regarded as a variety of O.binotatus Fieber, is raised to full species status. Trichoduchus is synonymized with Trypetimorpha resulting in the new combinations Trypetimorpha biermani Dammerman, T.china Wu and T.japonicus Ishihara. Trichoduchus japonicus Fennah is synonymized with Trypetimorpha japonicus Ishihara.