Valid Names Results

Xylococcus castanopsis Wu & Huang, 2017 (Xylococcidae: Xylococcus)

Nomenclatural History

• Xylococcus castanopsis Wu & Huang 2017: 548. Type data: CHINA: Guangdong Province, Guangzhou city, Huangpu District, Tianluhu Forest Park [23.22148° N, 113.4204° E; 180–200 m alt.], under bark of Castanopsis fissa (Fagaceae), 11/27/2016, by Shaobin Huang . Holotype, female and first instar, by original designation Type depository: Beijing: Forestry University, Beijing, China; accepted valid name Notes: Holotype: adult female, on a slide together with a paratype, holotype on left and paratype on right. Paratypes: 9 adult females on 6 slides, 17 pre-adult females on 4 slides and 13 first-instar nymphs on 2 slides, same data as holotype except collection dates: 3 adult females and 3 pre-adult females coll. 11/27/2016; 6 adult females and 14 pre-adult females coll. 12/24/2006; and first-instar nymphs all killed 1/27/2017. Illustr.

Common Names

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 1 | Genera: 1

Geographic Distribution

Keys

Remarks

• Systematics: Adult female X. castanopsis differ from those of X. filiferus in having multilocular pores with 1 or 2 inner loculi, no tiny sensory pores toward the base of the antennae and in lacking the sclerotized plate on the posterior apex of body; in contrast, adult female X. filiferus have multilocular pores with 3 or 4 inner loculi, 4 tiny sensory pores near the base of each antenna, and the posterior apex of body usually has a sclerotized plate from the pre-adult adherent. It can be distinguished from X. japonicus by the absence of legs and the presence of an unsclerotized anal tube, whereas X. japonicus has legs, although they are reduced to globular protuberances, and the anal tube is short and sclerotized. (Wu, et al., 2017)
• Structure: Body of live adult female ovoid to elongate ovoid, broadest at thorax, up to 7.6 mm long and 3.6 mm wide, reddish, with powdery white wax around vulva and each spiracular opening, and with semitranslucent wax test covering almost entire body except anal area. Slide-mounted body of young adult female ovoid, 3.5–3.9 mm long, 2.6–2.8 mm wide, the holotype 3.5mm long and 2.7mm wide; mature adult female elongate ovoid, up to 7.0–8.0 mm long and 3.0–3.5 mm wide, broadest across thorax, tapering towards posterior extremity. Derm membranous, with dense tiny papillae and a Vshaped narrow band of wrinkles in submarginal area. Antennae each reduced to an indistinctly 3-segmented tubercle, bearing 5 thick and 1 or 2 slender setae at apex. (Wu, et al., 2017) Pre-adult females found living singly in bark cavities. Body in life oval to pear-shaped, white to yellowish, with posterior extremity covered by posterior part of exuviae of previous instar. With long, white, hollow, filamentous wax tube extending from the anal tube to protrude above bark surface, serving to carry honeydew excretions away from body; wall of this wax tube made up of, not homogeneous wax mass, but of fine wax threads, some of which often separate from the tube wall to curl back towards the anal opening. Basal part of wax tube (located beneath bark surface) surrounded by thick layer of white woolly wax, probably secreted by multilocular pores around anal tube and abdominal spiracles; this white wax, and almost entire body, enclosed by test of semi-translucent wax. Body of newly hatched nymph elliptical, orange-red but with approximately three posteriormost segments brown due to sclerotisation. Eyes each visible as black spot; these, together with series of black dots on submargin of dorsum, forming longitudinal rows. Mature nymph with long wax tube secreted from anal tube and about eight pairs of wax threads, each thread extending from an abdominal spiracle. Eggs. Pale yellow or yellow in colour, each about 0.5 mm long and 0.35 mm wide. (Wu, et al., 2017)
• Biology: Out of the above 14 plant species in the forest, the scale was detected only on Castanopsis fissa. It infested mainly plants over 30 years old, but could also be found on young trees. On each plant, the insects live under the bark on the trunk and parts of the roots about 40 cm above the ground. (Wu, et al., 2017)
• General Remarks: Detailed descriptions and illustrations of adult female, pre-adult female and first-instar in Wu, et al., 2017.

Illustrations

Citations