Valid Names Results

Kermes greeni Bodenheimer, 1931 (Kermesidae: Kermes)

Nomenclatural History

• Kermococcus greeni Bodenheimer 1927a: 181. nomen nudum Notes: In this publication Bodenheimer simply presents the name Kermococcus greeni, stating that a description of the species would be published shortly.
• Kermes greeni Bodenheimer 1931: 246. Type data: ISRAEL: Nahalal, on Quercus coccifera. Syntypes, female, Type depository: Bet Dagan: Department of Entomology, The Volcani Center, Israel; accepted valid name Illustr.
• Talla greeni (Bodenheimer, 1931); Lindinger 1933a: 143. change of combination Notes: Morrison & Morrison, 1966 synonymized the genus Talla von Heyden withKermes Boitard creating the combination Kermes greeni.
• Kermes palestiniensis Balachowsky 1953f: 186. Type data: ISRAEL: Ras-El Nakurah, on Quercus coccifera, 17/07/1950, by Neumark. Syntypes, female, Type depository: Paris: Museum National d'Histoire naturelle, France; junior synonym (discovered by SpodekBeGh2012, 68-74). Notes: There are 2 syntypes on 2 slides in the MNHN (Matile-Ferrero, personal communication, December 2, 1999). Bytinski-Salz & Sternlicht (1967) state that Kermes palestiniensis is a synonym of Kermes biblicus. In later papers by Sternlicht, K. palestiniensis is treated as a valid species and no other citations of this synonymy can be found.
• Kermococcus palestiniensis (Balachowsky, 1953); Borchsenius 1960d: 39. change of combination
• Kermes palaestinensis Balachowsky, 1953; Bytinski-Salz & Sternlicht 1967: 126. misspelling of species epithet

Common Names

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 1 | Genera: 1

Foes:

Families: 3 | Genera: 4

Associates:

Families: 1 | Genera: 4

Geographic Distribution

Keys

• Hodgso2020: pp.153-154 ( Adult (M) ) [Kermesidae]
• SpodekBe2014: pp.7 ( Adult (F) ) [Key to the adult females of Kermesidae species of Israel]
• SpodekBe2014: pp.7-8 ( Third instar (F) ) [Key to the third-instar females of Kermesidae species of Israel]
• SpodekBe2014: pp.8 ( Second instar (F) ) [Key to the second-instar females of Kermesidae species of Israel]
• SpodekBe2014: pp.8 ( First instar ) [Key to the first-instar nymphs of Kermesidae species of Israel]
• SpodekBe2014: pp.8 ( Adult (F) ) [Key to the post-reproductive females of Kermesidae species of Israel]
• SpodekBe2014: pp.8-9 ( Adult (M) ) [Key to the adult males of Kermesidae species in Israel]
• SpodekBe2014: pp.9 ( Second instar (M) ) [Key to the second-instar males of Kermesidae in Israel]
• Borchs1960d: pp.34. 35 ( Adult (F) ) [Species of Kermococcus] Key as: Kermococus palestiniensis, Kermococus ilicis

Remarks

• Systematics: Bodenheimer's (1931) description of K. greeni and K. nahalali was based on post-reproductive females, in which the cuticle of the post-reproductive female adult is highly sclerotized and convex and some of the morphological characters of taxonomic significance are not visible, making it difficult to establish its taxonomic identity. Three additional species of Kermes (K. echinatus, K. palestiniensis and K. spatulatus) were described from Israel by Balachowsky (1953) based entirely on the first-instar nymphs because he was unable to relate these nymphs to the Kermes post-reproductive adults described by Bodenheimer (1931). K. palestiniensis was determined to be a junior synomym of K. greeni in Sodek, et al., 2012, based on the type series and new material esamined.This species is close to Kermes quercus (Balachowsky, 1953f). The first-instar of both K. echinatus and K. vermilio are easily distinguishable from other Mediterranean and European Kermes species due to the presence of conical, spine-like marginal setae. The first-instars of other Palaearctic Kermes species possess hair-like, spatulate or club-shaped marginal setae. (Spodek & Ben-Dov, 2012)
• Structure: Adult female is more or less spherical, with smooth, shining surface. The body is two-toned: light brown with more closely, roughly blackish-brown flecking (Bodenheimer, 1931).Adult female is spherical and brownish red (Balachowsky, 1953f). Dorsum of young adult females with red and black areas and with a transverse red area medially; dorsum round and smooth. Body 2.5-3.7 mm long, 1.9-3 mm wide. Gravid female dark red to black and uniform in colour. Post-reproductive female. Orange to tan coloured; body spherical and derm smooth and sclerotized. Body 4.2-5.9 mm long, 2.9-5 mm wide, 3.8-4.3 mm high. Mounted adult female. Oval to round, 2.5-3 mm long, 1.8-2.5 wide. (Spodek, et al,. 2012) First instar nymph, dorsum and venter orange; body oval and tapering posteriorly; body length 0.5-0.52 mm, width 0.21-0.23 mm.(Spodek, et al., 2012)
• General Remarks: Best description and illustration by Bodenheimer (1931).Best description and illustration by Balachowsky (1953f). Colour photographs of first instar nymphs and egg shells, yonng adult females, gravid females, and post-reproductive females in Spodek, et al., 2012. Detailed description, illustrations and photographs of first instar, second instar males and females, third instar and adult females as well as second instar, pupa and adult males in Spodek & Ben-Dov (2014).

Illustrations

Citations