Valid Names Results
Fimbriaticoccus Gullan and Williams, 2021 (Eriococcidae)Nomenclatural History
- Fimbriaticoccus Gullan and Williams 2021: 296. Type species: Ripersia leptospermi Maskell by present designation . accepted valid name
Remarks
- Systematics: zoobank.org:act:E755249D-8178-4754-A5FE-2923DD7CC8C5
Although Williams (1985a) recorded the host plant of the original collection as Leptospermum laevigatum (Gaertn.) F. Muell., Maskell (1889) made no mention of either the host plant or the collection locality in his paper. Although Maskell (1889, 1893) considered R. leptospermi to belong to the Dactylopiidae, the latter family group was poorly defined at that time and included many species now placed in different families. Williams (1985a) in his book on Australian mealybugs, transferred R. leptospermi to the Eriococcidae after examination of Maskell material deposited in the United States National Museum of Natural History (USNM). However, Maskell’s species remains in Ripersia Signoret, 1875b, which is a mealybug genus (Pseudococcidae), In early 2019, D.R. Miller examined slide-mounted specimens of R. leptospermi from the Maskell material held in the USNM and confirmed the action of Williams (1985a) in transferring this species to the Eriococcidae. (Gullan & Williams, 2021)
- Structure: Body subcircular, dark purple in colour, covered in white mealy wax and with many very long, white, cottony, curling filaments radiating from margin of entire body. The adult females have tubular ducts of the typical eriococcid type with a cup at the inner end; the legs have very few setae; the sensoria [here referred to as campaniform sensilla] on the trochanter are transverse in the middle of the segment rather than near the femur as on most pseudococcids; the multilocular pores have five to nine outer loculi [here almost all pores seen have seven outer loculi] that are star shaped as in most eriococcids; the antennae apparently are six segmented; the labium seems to be three segmented with a narrow basal segment; there are four pairs of anal ring setae; there are cruciform pores [considered here to be bilocular microtubular ducts] on the derm and translucent pores on the hind coxa; there was no evidence of ostioles, a circulus or trilocular pores, which are typical pseudococcid features. (Gullan & Williams, 2021)
- General Remarks: Detailed description, photographs and illustration in Gullan & Williams, 2021.
Keys
Associated References
- GullanWi2021: description, diagnosis, distribution, genebank, illustration, pp. 296
