Valid Names Results

Kermes roboris (Geoffroy, 1785) (Kermesidae: Kermes)

Nomenclatural History

Common Names

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 1 | Genera: 1

Foes:

Families: 3 | Genera: 9

Associates:

Families: 1 | Genera: 2

Geographic Distribution

Countries: 24

Keys

  • Kozarz1992: pp.66 ( Adult (F) ) [Key to species of Kermes]
  • Danzig1971d: pp.824 ( Adult (F) ) [Key to species of family Kermococcidae] Key as: Kermococcus roboris
  • Danzig1964: pp.635 ( Adult (F) ) [Kermococcus species in SSSR] Key as: Kermococcus roboris
  • Borchs1960d: pp.34 ( Adult (F) ) [Species of Kermococcus] Key as: Kermococus roboris

Remarks

  • Systematics: Fernald (1903b) lists several authors giving the combination Lecanium quercus under her treatment of Kermes roboris. Cianferoni (2019) determined the nomenclatural history of K. roboris and reported it in chronological order. He found that René Antoine Ferchault de Réamur described “on oak, a scale insect almost spherical as big as a small cherry, whose skin has the polish and the light of the grains of which the rosaries are made. . . The background of its color is a yellowish white, on which are three black stripes; black dots are distributed in intervals who are between the lines; ants like this species as the others [scale insects], and they made me discover it” [translated from French] However, the work by Reamur (1738) is pre-Linnean and published before the starting point (1st January 1758) fixed by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999). After Reamur (1738), Geoffroy (1762) listed this species as “Chermes quercûs rotundus, ex albo flavescente nigroque variegatus”, quoting also the work by Réamur. Geoffroy’s description, although unofficial according to the ICZN (1999) since it is not associated with a binomial, is however also unambiguous: Several years later, Fourcroy (1785) resumed the work by Geoffroy (1762), naming the species Chermes roboris and replacing the long descriptions of this author with binomial names and short diagnostic sentences. When Burmeister wrote his description of Lecanium quercus, he quoted the work by Reamur. Eventually Tarfioni Toaaetti (1868) listed the name Lecanium quercus under the combination Kermes variegatus Gmelin as synonym. So we now understand why Fernald (1903b) lists several authors giving the combination Lecanium quercus under her treatment of Kermes roboris.
  • Structure: Postreproductive female nearly spherical, almost flat on venter, derm smooth, shiny, and light brown. If females are crowded or in a twig fork they are often deformed, not spherical. Teneral females oval, quite flat in side view and resembling Coccidae (Kosztarab & Kozár, 1988). The adult females have a globose body, nearly spherical, reaching 8.5 mm in width, deep yellow in color, with transverse bands and oval spots blackish brown (Cianferoni, 2019)
  • Biology: According to Tzalev (1968), K. roboris overwinters as a second instar nymph on the woody parts of the host plant. The eggs are laid at the beginning of June and hatch at the end of the month (Tzalev, 1968). Females are found singly on thin branches of Quercus spp. One yearly generation is reported, with eggs being laid in May in central Europe (Kosztarab & Kozár, 1988).

Illustrations

Citations