Valid Names Results

Waxiella mimosae mimosae (Signoret, 1872) (Coccidae: Waxiella)

Nomenclatural History

• Ceroplastes mimosae Signoret 1872a: 46. Type data: EGYPT: on Mimosa [=Acacia] nilotica.. Lectotype, female, by subsequent designation (BenDov1986,171). Type depository: Vienna: Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Austria; accepted valid name
• Ceroplastes africanus; Hall 1922: 16. misidentification (discovered by BenDov1986, 171).
• Waxiella mimosae; Ben-Dov 1970: 84. misidentification
• Waxiella mimosae (Signoret, 1872); De Lotto 1971: 148. change of combination
• Waxiella mimosae; Ben-Dov 1971: 31. misidentification
• Waxiella tamaricis Ben-Dov 1986: 171. Type data: ISRAEL: Mivtahim, on Tamarix articulata.. Holotype, female, Type depository: Bet Dagan: Department of Entomology, The Volcani Center, Israel; junior synonym (discovered by HodgsoPe2012, 215).

Common Names

• acacia wax scale AbdRabEv2021

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 6 | Genera: 10

Foes:

Families: 2 | Genera: 2

Geographic Distribution

Keys

• MohammMo2013: pp.146-157 ( Adult (F) ) [Key to species and subspecies of family coccidae in Egypt]
• HodgsoPe2012: pp.198-199 ( Adult (F) ) [Key to adult females in the Waxiella africana-group (excluding W. erithraeus (Leonardi) and W. mimosae neghellii (Bellio)). ]
• EzzatHu1969: pp.371 ( Adult (F) ) [Egypt]

Remarks

• Systematics: Good characters for separating W. mimosae from W. africana are: (i) the shape of the group of conical stigmatic setae, narrow with a broad area of sclerotisation on W. africana but almost round with (at most) a narrow area of sclerotisation on W. mimosae; (ii) the paucity of ventral microducts medially on W. africana, these being much more abundant on W. mimosae, where they are frequent on all abdominal segments; (iii) the absence of multilocular disc-pores laterad to each metacoxa on W. africana, but with (0)-10 pores present on W. mimosae, (iv) the many fewer spiracular disc-pores on W. africana (about 100-120 as compared with 150-250 on W. mimosae) and (v) the absence of multilocular disc-pores along the anterior border of each band of stigmatic disc-pores and mesad to each spiracle on W. africana (present in both areas on W. mimosae). In addition, W. africana is believed to be restricted to southern Africa whereas W. mimosae appears to be restricted to the eastern Sahara area. (Hodgson & Peronti, 2012) Most of the specimens observed by Hodgson & Peronti, 2012, from Egypt had a few ventral tubular ducts submarginally on the head posterior to each scape or submarginally on the thorax. These have only been noted rarely on W. africana and W. egbarum. Ben-Dov (1986) also suggested that W.mimosae and W. africana differed in: (i) the absence of cruciform pores medially on the abdomen in W. africana (present on W. mimosae); (ii) slightly longer antennae on W. mimosae than on W. africana, and (iii) the colour of their wax test. (Hodgson & Peronti, 2012)
• Structure: "Covered in wax, dirty-white in colour" (Ben-Dov, 1986). "Young adult female, just after the last moult, is covered with a white wax test; oval in outline, 2.5 mm long, 2.0 mm wide, 0.5 mm high; the test is divided with distinct fissures into 9 plates: median, cephalic, anal and 3 lateral pairs; white mealy secretion (its colour distinctly different from that of the test) extends from the lateral end of each stigmatic furrow towards the dorsal surface of the test; the test at the site of anal opening with a circular area devoid of wax, thus the opening is exposed. In a female of more advanced stage of growth, the test becomes orange-pink; the stigmatic mealy secretions are distinct. In females with a test measuring 4.5 mm long, 4 mm wide, 3 mm high, the anal opening becomes completely covered with the test wax, and remains concealed until the end of oviposition. Fully grown, ovipositing females with a test up to 10 mm long, 8 mm wide and 7 mm high; test colour orange pink, slightly brighter along the margin and on top of the test, stigmatic mealy wax white, distinct, occasionally it is fused with the dorsal test. Body of young adult female 2 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, 1 mm high, without a cephalic projection; body of fully-grown ovipositing female with membranous derm; the cephalic projection well developed, sclerotised; the areas carrying the stigmatic setae sclerotised. Body of fully grown, ovipositing female convex; up to 6 mm long, 5 mm wide, 4 mm high; dorsum sclerotised; with a well-developed cephalic projection." (Description of W. tamaricis, (Ben-Dov, 1986). Mounted material. Body elongate oval, probably quite convex, with distinct, shallow, stigmatic clefts; dorsum without distinct tubercles. Stigmatic setae of 2 types, with sharply-spinose setae amongst spiracular discpores and conical setae in a roundly oval group on dorsum. Caudal process short and stout, 0.25-1.12 mm long, 0.25-1.49 mm wide. Body length 2.1-4.5 (2.5-6) mm, width 1.5-3.8 (2-4) mm. (Hodgson & Peronti, 2012)
• General Remarks: Detailed description and illustration in Hodgson & Peronti, 2012. Many specimens previously identified as W. mimosae were misidentifications. The only countries which were determined to have definite records of W. mimosae by Hodgson & Peronti, 2012, were Egypt and Israel, and the only hosts were Acacia (Fabaceae) and Tamarix (Tamaricaceae). Therefore, all records from elsewhere in Ethiopian Africa should be treated with caution. Thus the record from Mauritania (Balachowsky & Matile-Ferrero, 1970), Angola (Almeid, 1973b), Algeria (Balachowsky, 1934d) and South Africa (Brain, 1920) were removed from ScaleNet.

Illustrations

Citations