Valid Names Results

Coccus oecophyllae Das, Pramanik & Das, 2025 (Coccidae: Coccus)

Nomenclatural History

• Coccus oecophyllae Das, Pramanik & Das 2025a: 137. Type data: INDIA: West Bengal, 24-Parganas (N), Mondouri, on Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.), Swingle, 05/07/2024, coll. A. Das, inside the nest of Oecophylla smaragdina Fab.. Holotype, female, by original designation Type depository: Kolkata: Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India; accepted valid name Notes: Paratypes: 5 adult ♀♀ (BCKV) Illustr.

Common Names

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 1 | Genera: 1

Associates:

Families: 1 | Genera: 1

Geographic Distribution

Keys

• DasPrDa2025a: pp.143 ( Adult (F) ) [Indian species of Coccus]

Remarks

• Systematics: Choi & Lee (2018) gave the diagnostic morphological characters of adult females of 11 Asian species of Coccus possessing ventral tubular ducts, including the description of a new species, Coccus ficicola Choi & Lee from China. Comparing C. oecophyllae sp. nov. with these 11 species and other Coccus species present in India, the new species is found to have a novel set of morphological traits, including an unusual distribution pattern of ventral tubular ducts.
  Morphologically, C. oecophyllae is closest to C. ficicola. It is also similar to C. discrepans. (Das et al. 2025)
• Structure: Appearance in life: Body broadly oval to elongated oval; median area slightly convex, longitudinal median ridge apparent in lateral view; body light yellowish, marginal area transparent; the whitish ventral stigmatic bands and colour of the host plant to which it is attached visible through dorsum; median area of body turning brown with age. Eyes black, prominent, situated very close to margin. Coccus oecophyllae sp. nov. was found inside the nest of the weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina F., which the ants had built by binding the leaves together with white silk. The scale insects were found feeding on leaves and a stem within the nest.
  Slide-mounted adult female. Body broadly oval, 2.7–3.1 mm long, 1.6–1.8 mm wide; anal cleft 400–480 μm long, one-sixth to one-seventh of length of body. Dorsum. Derm membranous with small, very pale dermal round-to-oval areolations, not numerous. Margin. Stigmatic clefts well developed, weakly sclerotized; each cleft containing 3 spiracular setae, usually with 1 long median seta, 60–65 μm long, straight to slightly curved apically and bluntly pointed, and 2 smaller, straight lateral setae with pointed apices, subequal in length, each 22–32 μm long, about half to one-third as long as median seta. Venter. Derm membranous. Submarginal setae slender, straight and spinose, with sharply pointed apices, each 7–15 μm long. (Das et al. 2025)
• Biology: The new species is associated with the ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, and was found inside the nest. (Das et al. 2025)
• General Remarks: Description, illustration, and color photographs by Das et al. (2025).

Illustrations

Citations