Valid Names Results

Symeria Green, 1929 (Diaspididae)

Nomenclatural History

• Scrupulaspis MacGillivray 1921: 274. Type species: Mytilaspis intermedia Maskell by original designation . junior synonym (discovered by Hender2011: 189-190)
• Symeria Green 1929: 380. Type species: Mytilaspis epiphytidis Maskell by monotypy and original designation . accepted valid name
• Eulepidosaphes Borchsenius & Williams 1963: 364. Type species: Lepidosaphes marshali Laing by monotypy and original designation . (= Eulepidosaphes pyriformis, Maskell ) junior synonym (discovered by Willia1985c: 137)

Remarks

• Systematics: Subfamily DIASPIDINAE Tribe LEPIDOSAPHIDINI (Normark, et al., 2019) Symeria species resemble those of Lepidosaphes in the structure of male and female scale, but differ from typical species of that genus in the presence of ligulate and laciniate squamulae on the pygidial margin, in place of the usual gland spines, which are entirely absent (Green, 1929). Green (1929) established the genus Symeria for the species identified by him as Mytilaspis epiphytidis Maskell 1885a. Morrison & Morrison (1966) determined that the original Maskell lot contained more than one species and that Green's description was not of epiphytidis. They proposed the new name Symeria zealandica. However, Morrison & Morrison did not describe zealandica sufficiently to qualify as a valid name under the rules of Zoological Nomenclature so it is treated as a nomen nudum. Rosa Henderson (2011) states that she examined a slide in the Natural History Museum (BMNH), London, in August 2001 which was labelled "Symeria [Lepidosaphes crossed out] epiphytidis (Mask.), from Astelia cunninghamii, NZ (Wellington) coll. J.G. Myers, 7.ix.1921". This was part of the material studied by Green, and it contained 6 adult females and 4 2nd-instar nymphs of M. pyriformis. Ferris illustrated the genotype of Symeria from material of ‘Symeria epiphytidis’ that he apparently received from Green’s collection and Henderson determined that this also was M. pyriformis. In addition, Ferris sent part of this lot back to NZAC. A further 2 slides were made by J. A. de Boer in 1968, NZAC labelled ‘no. 228, collected at Days Bay, 7 Sep 1921, E.H.A., on Astelia cunninghami.’ These 2 slides are also labelled "dry material det. Ferris" as Lepidosaphes epiphytidis and contain the following: (1) 1 female? of M. epiphytidis sensu Maskell, 1885 (referred here to Pellucidaspis epiphytidis, new comb.) + 8 female M. pyriformis; a 3rd label in de Boer’s writing "Symeria zealandica Morr.&Morr."; (2) M. pyriformis: 6 adult females + 6 2nd-instar female nymphs. Symeria zealandica Morrison & Morrison, 1966:190. A new species name zealandica was designated by Morrison & Morrison because Green’s description and figure did not agree with type specimens of Maskell’s epiphytidis, and because a genus should have for its type a species that represents that generic description. L. epiphytidis (Maskell) could not be that type, but the genus Symeria remains valid and needed a type. Morrison & Morrison provided a name without a specimen, but must have concluded that Green was looking at a specimen when he wrote the description of Symeria. As shown from Henderson's examination that specimen was undoubtedly M. pyriformis, and therefore it is the type species of Symeria. Eulepidosaphes: the type species Lepidosaphes marshalli Laing was synonymised with M. pyriformis by Williams (1985). Deitz & Tocker (1980) made the combination Eulepidosaphes pyriformis, but the genus Eulepidosaphes is here sunk because Symeria takes precedence. No other species have been assigned to Eulepidosaphes. Prior to Green’s (1929) introduction of the name Symeria, Scrupulaspis was erected by MacGillivray in 1921. The type species was given as Scrupulaspis intermedia (Maskell), but it fails as a valid combination because MacGillivray gave erroneous key characters for it. In addition, not enough is known about ‘Scrupulaspis’ victoriae (Green) (from Australia) and its placement is uncertain. (Henderson, 2011)
• Structure: Adult females of Symeria are characterized by the pair of large median lobes with their axes set at an angle and set apart by a space about half the width of one lobe, the space occupied by a pair of short gland spines. 2nd and 3rd lobes not bilobed, represented at most by sclerotized points but with the ventral surface of each lobe with prominent paraphyses. Described as Scrupulaspis in Borchsenius & Williams, 1963.
• General Remarks: Detailed description of genus and synonomy in Henderson, 2011.

Keys

• Hender2011: pp.44-45 ( Adult (F) ) [Key to Genera of Diaspididae in New Zealand]

Associated References

• Balach1954e: taxonomy, pp. 23
• Borchs1966: catalog, taxonomy, pp. 38,68,73
• BorchsWi1963: distribution, taxonomy, pp. 364,370
• BruesMeCa1954: taxonomy, pp. 164
• DanzigPe1998: catalog, distribution, taxonomy, pp. 257
• Ferris1936a: illustration, taxonomy, pp. 23, 26, 87
• Green1929: description, distribution, taxonomy, pp. 380
• Hender2011: distribution, host, taxonomy, pp. 6,8,10,22-23,44,189,
• Lindin1937: taxonomy, pp. 195-196
• MacGil1921: description, taxonomy, pp. 274, 287
• MorrisMo1966: taxonomy, pp. 73,181,190
• NormarOkMo2019: taxonomy, pp. 52

4 Species