Valid Names Results

Cyphococcus williamsi Joshi & Rajgopal, 2022 (Coccidae: Cyphococcus)

Nomenclatural History

• Cyphococcus williamsi Joshi & Rajgopal 2022: 532. Type data: INDIA, Gangenahalli, Bengaluru, on Annona reticulata, 11/09/2020, by Sunil Joshi.. Holotype, female, male, and first instar, by original designation Type depository: Bengaluru (Bangalore): National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bangalore, Karnataka, India; accepted valid name Notes: Altogether there are 33 type slides. Illustr.

Common Names

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 2 | Genera: 2

Foes:

Families: 2 | Genera: 4

Associates:

Families: 1 | Genera: 2

Geographic Distribution

Keys

Remarks

• Systematics: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E0861859-4673-4BCE-8D23-1DCFA60A4F2C

  Cyphococcus williamsi is very similar to C. caesalpiniae but can be easily separated by (character states for C. caesalpiniae given in parenthesis): (i) antennae and legs well developed (reduced); (ii) dorsal marginal tubercles numbering 11–15 pairs (8–12 pairs); (iii) each stigmatic cleft with 10–12 stigmatic spines (14–22 in each cleft); (iv) each anal plate with 4 pairs of setae (5 pairs); (v) pregenital disc pores each with 10–14 loculi, restricted to abdominal segments (each with 7–8 loculi, extending as far forward as prothorax); and (vi) spiracular disc pores each with 4–7 loculi (5–9 loculi). Adult female C. williamsi exhibit almost all the character-states of the subfamily Cyphococcinae as listed by Hodgson (1997) with the exception of (characters from Hodgson’s diagnosis in parenthesis): (i) pregenital disc pores each with 10–12 loculi (6–7) and (ii) eye spot present (absent). (Joshi, et al., 2022) The presence of minute tubular pores with balloon-shaped inner filaments is an distinctive character of the first-instar nymph of C. williamsi. (Joshi, et al., 2022)

• Structure: Early instars transparent white, through which the colour of the stem is clearly visible; margin with several thin fragile wax filaments; dorsal surface with linear arrangement of opaque patches around median ridge. Later female instars develop a test like frosted glass, forming dense infestations, with individuals very close to each other or even overlapping. Test of largest adult female 10.5 mm long, 6.8 mm broad and 3 mm high. Colour of test white with a thick, opaque median ridge extending from anal plateto prothorax. Median ridge surrounded by irregular opaque white patches arranged roughly in a linear fashion. There are 3 prominent humps, one at each end of median ridge and one in the middle. Margin with distinct fringe of white wax. Anal plates dusky, and anal cleft tending to be slightly open. Body of adult female brick red, completely occupying test before initiation of oviposition. On commencement of oviposition, the female shrinks and moves towards anterior end of test, leaving space for eggs in the resultant cavity. In the late oviposition phase, the female becomes shriveled, leaving the entire thoracic and abdominal area vacant for eggs. Fresh eggs yellowish-brown, turning brick red just before hatching. (Joshi, et al., 2022) First-instar nymph subcylindrical, broadest at mesothorax; yellowish brown, with darker area in middorsal region. Eyes marginal, brown. Antenna whitish; legs transparent yellow. Each anal plate bearing a long seta. (Joshi, et al., 2022) Adult male reddish pink with appendages pale yellow. Head and abdominal segments VII and VIII dark brown; penial sheath almost black. Prescutum, scutum and scutellum sclerotized, raised from the derm and dark. Wings transparent, with dark pink radial vein. With a pair of white wax filaments posteriorly, each subequal in length to body. (Joshi, et al., 2022)
• Biology: It took 36 to 45 days for a crawler to develop to the egg-producing adult female stage. A female was found to produce 360 to 520 eggs during its life. When laboratory reared larvae of C. montrouzieri were released on the reared colony, they readily fed on exposed eggs, crawlers and male pupae.
• General Remarks: Detailed description, photographs and illustration in Joshi, et al., 2022.

Illustrations

Citations