Valid Names Results

Morganella conspicua (Brain, 1919) (Diaspididae: Morganella)

Nomenclatural History

• Diaspis (Epidiaspis) conspicua Brain 1919: 228. Type data: SOUTH AFRICA: Pretoria, on privet; Kroonstad on Acacia sp.; Kabah, Uitenhage, on Gardenia fortunei.. Syntypes, female, Type depository: Pretoria: South African National Collection of Insects, South Africa; accepted valid name Illustr.
• Chorizaspidiotus conspicus (Brain, 1919); MacGillivray 1921: 433. change of combination requiring emendation of specific epithet for agreement in gender
• Aspidiotus (Morganella) conspicua (Brain, 1919); Hall 1929: 356. change of combination
• Epidiaspis conspicua (Brain, 1919); Lindinger 1937: 184. change of combination
• Morganella conspicua (Brain, 1919); Balachowsky 1956: 124. change of combination

Common Names

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 12 | Genera: 15

Associates:

Families: 1 | Genera: 1

Geographic Distribution

Keys

• SchneiGiDo2013: pp.815-816 ( Adult (F) ) [Key to the species of ant-associated armoured scale insects (adapted from Ben-Dov, 2010)]
• Balach1956: pp.124 ( Adult (F) ) [Africa]

Remarks

• Systematics: Takagi (2007) and Schneider, et al. (2013) agree that this species clearly does not belong in Morganella, but lacking allocation to another genus, for the present it remains in Morganella.
• Structure: Female scale circular, about 2 mm in diameter; convex; dark greenish to almost black, with brown exuviae. Male scale whitish, and comparatively large, with parallel sides; particularly conspicuous because they are attached to the stem only by their anterior end and project in all directions from among the female scales (Brain, 1919). Female scale subcircular, 2 mm in diameter; convex; colour varies from green to black; exuviae central, brown (Balachowsky, 1956). In Melissotarsus emeryi colonies, we found a very small number of Morganella conspicua with shields, and they were always located apart from dense aggregations. Their shields were thinner than described in free-living Morganella conspicua (2 mm wide, with three parts: central circular zone built by first instar, middle zone by second instar, and external zone by the adult). A maximum of three females with a shield were found in one spot. Nymphal exuviae had been incorporated into the shields Up to eight embryos were found inside each of the ten naked individuals examined. This indicates that even though fully-grown females in aggregations lack shields, they all give birth. Shields or exuviae were never seen in dense aggregations of diaspidids. Shields or exuviae were never seen in dense aggregations of diaspidids. In nests opened repeatedly for observations in the lab, outlying chambers vacated by ants were soon infested by fungi and mites.(Peeters, et al., 2017)
• Biology: Ben-Dov & Matile-Ferrero (1984) and Ben-Dov & Fisher (2010) studied and recorded 'scale-less' populations of this species which were living in galleries of the ant, Melissotarsus beccarii Emery in Africa. Ben-Dov (2010) recorded 'scale-less' populations of this species which were living in galleries of the ant, Melissotarsus insularis Santschi in Madagascar. An exception apparently occurs for male diaspidids; the prepupal and pupal instars of M. conspicua possess scale covers from which adult males emerge. (Schneider, et al., 2013) Aggregations of female M. conspicua included up to a few dozen fully grown females; up to 56 were counted in one chamber. While most females were yellowish, the few darker ones are the oldest, probably senescent, females. The adult females were usually crowded in ant galleries, often all parallel to each other. They "stand'' with all of their pygidia facing out; this is unlike free-living diaspidids which generally lie under their shields against the bark. (Peeters, et al., 2017)
• Economic Importance: Ant-associated Morganella conspicua considerably higher densities than those of free-living diaspidids that encrust branches and stems, hence they are likely to impact the host plants heavily by extracting resources and injecting toxins. (Peeters, et al., 2017)
• General Remarks: Description and illustration of adult female by Brain (1919) and by Balachowsky (1956). Detailed discussion of shield building and composition as well as ant associations in Peeters, et al., 2017) The analysis of Schneider, et al., 2018 recovered three independent origins of ant association in Aspidiotini: 1. Melanaspis spp., 2. Morganella conspicua, and 3.Affirmaspis cederbergensis + Melissoaspis spp.

Illustrations

Citations