Platylecanium palmae Hodgson, 2025

Hodgson, Chris, 2025, Revision of the soft scale genus Platylecanium (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae), with descriptions of eight new species, Zootaxa 5646 (2), pp. 151-198 : 182-184

Platylecanium palmae Hodgson , sp. nov.

Material examined

SULAWESI UTARA. Holotype: left label: Platylecanium / palmae / Hodgson / Holotype; right label: Dumoga-Bone n.p. / Sulawesi Utara / approx. 1140 m. alt / Clarks Camp / Palmae –poss. Calamus / 10.v.1985 / J.H. Martin 4935A (1/1 adf, good) ( NHML) .

Paratypes ♀♀: as above, labelled paratype (1/1 adf, good) ( NHML); also Platylecanium / palmae / Hodgson / paratype ♀♀; right label: Ratan Palm / Dumoga-Bone n.p. / SULAWESI UTARA / approx. 1140 m. alt / Clarks Camp area / 10.v.1985 / J.H. Martin 4936A (1/2 adff, good) ( NHML) .

Unmounted material. Unrecorded, but slide-mounted specimens with remains of a thin waxy or glassy test.

Slide-mounted adult female ( Fig. 12 ). Body elongate oval and basically symmetrical, about 2.5 times longer than broad and rounded at both ends, length 3.7‒4.8 mm, width 1.9‒2.0 mm; anal cleft about 1/7 th of body length.

Dorsum. All four specimens probably young as derm unsclerotised; only areas with obvious sclerotisation inner margins of stigmatic clefts; all specimens showing a differentiated narrow marginal area and a rather obscure submarginal band of areolations; with slightly denser derm associated with anal plates and possibly around each eyespot; medially, derm covered in small white (shiny) spots of what appears to be waxy material. Layout of reticulation plates vague but with marginal reticulation points as follows: 13 on head between anterior stigmatic clefts and, on each side, perhaps 5 between stigmatic clefts and 13 on abdomen. With a distinct unsclerotised ray arising from each stigmatic cleft, length of rays: anterior, each 295‒440 μm, posterior, each 210‒500 μm. Dorsal setae robust and setose, mostly slightly curved, each 12‒14 μm long, with basal socket 5‒6 μm wide; no dorsal setae appear to be raised on distinct fleshy bases; setae located in reticulation lines but scarce medially. Clear areas present as in diagnosis, but rather obscure, each surrounded by a group of preopercular pores, each pore mostly 3.0‒3.5 μm wide with a distinct border and a few dark spots medially; usually distributed in 2 groups, one anterior to and other posterior to each clear area, as follows: (anteriormost) CA 1, 8‒13; CA 2, 8‒13; CA 3, 6‒12; CA 4, 5‒7. No other dorsal pores found, but it is likely that microducts present as in other Platylecanium species. Anal plates 174‒188 μm long, 141‒145 μm combined width, each plate clearly longer than broad, with a pointed apex; with 4 setae all close to apex, apical setae each 21‒23 μm long, others each 8‒10 μm long; no small pores noted; underside of each plate showing nothing significant. Anogenital fold with 4 or 5 pairs of short fine setae on anterior margin, 0 fine setae along each lateral margin, plus 1 seta at posterior end of each apodeme, latter 7‒8 μm long. Anal tube about same length as anal plates; anal ring with 6 setae, length of each seta up to 230‒250 μm. Eyespots oval, located on dorsum away from margin; maximum width of each lens about 18‒20 μm.

Margin. Margin not crenulated. Marginal setae fairly long and setose, each about 13‒17 μm long (mostly slightly longer than a dorsal seta) with a sharp apex; basal socket slightly narrower than that of dorsal setae; more-or-less evenly distributed around margin although occasionally with a slight concentration near a marginal reticulation point, with about 50‒55 between anterior clefts and, on each side, 21‒25 between clefts and 41‒49 on abdominal margin; marginal setae absent from outer margins of stigmatic clefts. Stigmatic clefts quite deep, each with outer margins of cleft almost touching; inner part widening and becoming quite broad, with inner margin strongly sclerotised; each cleft with 3 long, narrow, blunt stigmatic spines, with middle spine frequently shorter than lateral spines; each 25‒40 μm long. Anal cleft with margins touching along entire length.

Venter. Multilocular disc-pores mostly with 10 loculi, present in segments VII, VI and V; with (only countable on holotype specimen) 8 and 11 on each side of VII, 18 and 20 on each side of VI and 4? and 5 on each side of V. Spiracular disc-pores, each rather small, mostly with 5 loculi, present between each spiracle and margin in a narrow band mainly 1 pore wide, with 13‒18 disc-pores in each band. Ventral microducts minute; with a concentration near labium but possibly present throughout. Ventral setae: a pair of short setae present between antennal bases; pairs of longer setae in segment VII, each about 70 μm long, and moderately long pairs in segments VI and V, each 30‒40 μm long; distribution of other setae hard to determine but submarginal setae very short, only slightly longer than width of basal socket, and very sparse. Antennae only somewhat reduced, each with a distinct scape and pedicel, a long third segment and apical 3 segments all fused; with setose setae on scape and pedicel, and with perhaps 5 fairly long fleshy setae plus 4‒6 setose setae on apical segment; total antennal length 152‒190 μm. Clypeolabral shield 117‒135 μm long. Spiracles small, width of each peritreme 33‒40 μm. Legs reduced, only detectable on holotype specimen, each represented by small sclerotised areas of derm, possibly representing claw.

Comments. Platylecanium palmae sp. nov. can be quickly recognised by the following combination of character-states: (i) antennae almost fully developed; (ii) marginal setae many, distributed rather evenly around the margin; (iii) each stigmatic cleft with 3 setae, median seta often shortest; (iv) multilocular disc-pores present in posterior 3 abdominal segments (V-VII inclusive); (v) preopercular pores about equally frequent around all four clear areas, and (vi) 4 or 5 pairs of setae present on anterior margin of anal cleft. In having almost complete antennae, P. palmae is somewhat like P. coelogyne , described above, but is otherwise very different. Platylecanium palmae is currently known only from the original collection in Sulawesi Utara off a species of palm, possibly Calamus sp. ( Arecaceae ).

Name derivation. The species is named after the common name used for its host plant - palm–derived from the Latin ‘ palma ’ for palm tree.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Platylecanium palmae Hodgson, sp. nov., adult female.