Valid Names Results

Discochiton seychellarum Williams & Hodgson, 2018 (Coccidae: Discochiton)

Discochiton seychellarum Williams & Hodgson 2018: 66-68. Type data: SEYCHELLES: Anse á la Mouche, on coconut, 12/6/1989, by coll. E.S. Brown. Holotype, female, by original designation Type depository: London: The Natural History Museum, England, UK; accepted valid name Notes: Paratypes ff: left label: SEYCHELLES / Anse á la Mouche / on coconut / coll. E.S. Brown / 2354a / 12689; right label: Paralecanium [crossed out] Discochiton / seychellarum / Williams & Hodgson / paratype f (BMNH): 5/5adff (f-p, most missing venters). Illustr.

Families: 1 | Genera: 2

Countries: 1

Systematics: Adult female D. seychellarum resemble some D. expansum specimens in having frequently more than 3 stigmatic spines in each stigmatic cleft. However, D. seychellarum differs from D. expansum in lacking leg stubs, in having sharply spinose dorsal setae and preopercular pores associated with all abdominal clear areas. The specimens off Phoenicophorium sp. differ significantly from those off coconut. In particular, specimens off the former plant have only 3 stigmatic spines per stigmatic cleft whereas those off coconut have up to 9 per cleft; in addition, specimens off Phoenicophorium have shorter anal plates, fewer preopercular pores per clear area, longer antennae and smaller spiracles. It could be argued that these differences (particularly in the number of stigmatic spines) are enough to separate the two lots of material; however, the view is taken here that it is unlikely that 2 species would evolve sympatrically on Arecaceae species on these islands, so they are here being treated as a single species. (Hodgson & Williams, 2018)
Structure: Slide-mounted adult female. Body elongate oval. Length 5.5–7.0 [4.5–6.2] mm, width 3.2–4.4 [2.5–3.5] mm. (Hodgson & Williams, 2018)
General Remarks: Detailed description and illustration in Hodgson & Williams, 2018.

HodgsoWi2018: description, diagnosis, distribution, host, illustration, key, taxonomy, 67-69