Porphyrophora cynodontis (Archangelskaya)

(Fig. 72, distribution map Fig. 92B)

Margarodes cynodontis Archangelskaya, 1935: 15 .

Field characteristics: Body more-or-less egg-shaped and hairy; derm flexible and soft; body densely pubescent (Jakubski 1965); colour ranging from bright violet to dark red.

Microscopic diagnosis: Slide-mounted adult female broadly oval; dorsum of body densely covered by long hair-like setae and small setae; ventral surface densely covered by long hair-like setae but without small setae. Antennae each with 9–12 or 13 segments; sensillum placodeum on segment IV usually present, elongate oval to almond shaped, containing 7–12 sensilla plus a short fleshy seta; most other intermediate segments naked but a few bearing 1 or 2 setae; apical segment enlarged, bearing some flagellate setae, several fleshy setae and sensilla. Prothoracic legs each with tarsus fused with claw; enlarged claw at least 2.0x longer than basal width, and pointed, normally without a denticle (rarely, a small one present). Thoracic spiracles larger than those in most other Porphyrophora species, each with an apodeme; peritreme with about 10 spiracular disc-pores and with a group of 3–15 perispiracular sensilla on lateral margin. Abdominal spiracles usually absent, but some geographical races from Iran with 1 pair of simple abdominal spiracles, very poorly developed, on segment I. Multilocular disc-pores each normally with 1 ring of loculi, each ring mostly with about 12 loculi; pores mainly present in segmental bands 5 or 6 pores wide across each segment; some posterior multilocular disc-pores tending to be larger. Anal opening with thin, semicircular, poorly sclerotized rim along dorsal margin, surrounded by an area of derm without setae or pores.

Distribution: Porphyrophora cynodontis is known from Uzbekistan and Iran (Jakubski 1965; Vahedi & Hodgson 2007), where it has been recorded from Azarbaijan-Sharghi and Kermanshah provinces (Vahedi & Hodgson 2007).

Host-plants: The species has been recorded on host-plants belonging to three grass genera in the family Poaceae: Aeluropus, Cynodon and Phragmites (García Morales et al. 2016) . In Iran, it has been found on Phragmites sp. (Vahedi 2002).

Economic importance: Porphyrophora cynodontis is of no economic importance in Iran.

Natural enemies: None recorded in Iran.

Comments: Porphyrophora cynodontis is probably a synonym of P. hamelii Brandt (Vahedi & Hodgson 2007) .