Platylecanium cribrigerum (Cockerell & Robinson)

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 : 162-164

Platylecanium cribrigerum (Cockerell & Robinson)

Neolecanium cribrigerum Cockerell & Robinson, 1915: 110 .

Platylecanium cribrigerum (Cockerell & Robinson, 1915) ; Cockerell & Robinson 1915a: 427. Change of combination.

Material examined

Part of type material: PHILIPPINES: Platylecanium / Neolecanium / cribrigerum / Philippines / Part of type. Ckll., plus a small label: Ehrhorn Collection (1/1 adf, barely stained, poor, missing half of abdomen and much of venter) ( USNM).

Also studied previously (see Hodgson, 1994): PHILIPPINES, Los Banos, ex Piper loheri ( Piperaceae ), no date, C.F. Baker (1/1 adf, about a quarter of a specimen) ( USNM). Also 1 slide with two specimens, labelled: TYPE, Neolecanium cribrigerum C & R, Genotype of Platylecanium C & R, donated C.D.A. Cockerell ( NHML: 1/2 adff); plus another slide labelled: TYPE, Neolecanium cribrigerum C & R ( NHML (1931.2030): 1/1 adf).

Note. The following description is taken as far as possible from the single slide studied here but, where structures are absent (i.e., on venter), the details are taken from Hodgson (1994). All measurements given in brackets are from Hodgson (1994).

Unmounted material. “Female perfectly flat, broad oval, about 4.25 mm long and 3.55 mm broad; no glassy or waxy covering; rich red-brown” ( Cockerell & Robinson 1915a).

Slide-mounted adult female ( Fig. 4 ). Body oval, quite broad and rounded at both ends, length 4.4 (3.5‒4.2) mm, width 3.3 (2.8‒4.0) mm; anal cleft about 1/6 th of body length.

Dorsum. Derm fairly-uniformly sclerotised but palest near margin; with a distinct complete paler inner submarginal band of quite large areolations plus a vague outer marginal band of smaller areolations; derm slightly denser around anal plates, around each clear area and around each eyespot; derm showing no variation in sclerotisation relating to reticulation plates. Layout of reticulation plates rather vague but probably with 3 longitudinal bands on each side; marginal reticulation points reasonably distinct, with 13 on head between anterior stigmatic clefts and, on each side, 4 between clefts and possibly 12 on abdomen (latter including reticulation line close to anal cleft). With a distinct unsclerotised ray extending radially from each stigmatic cleft, ray lengths: anterior each 77‒95 μm, posterior each 62‒100 μm. Dorsal setae each 6‒8 (8‒10) μm long (only slightly shorter than marginal setae), setose, mostly distinctly curved, each in a socket about 5 μm wide (wider than sockets of marginal setae), mostly raised on a distinct fleshy base, particularly submedially, with seta located on apex; setae frequent in reticulation lines near margins, becoming less frequent medially. Clear areas distributed as in diagnosis, each surrounded by a group of preopercular pores; each pore about 3‒4 μm wide, slightly larger than a dorsal microduct, with a more distinct border (also possibly convex), distributed as follows: (anteriormost) CA 1, 0 or 1; CA 2, 7‒9; CA 3, 10 or 11; CA 4, 10 or 11. Dorsal microducts represented by unsclerotised spots in derm, each about 1‒2 μm wide, forming (with dorsal setae) a distinct reticulate pattern but microducts more randomly distributed than dorsal setae. Anal plates each 163‒185 (147‒158) μm long, combined width 172 μm (single plate 71‒84 (75‒85) μm wide); together almost quadrate, each with anterior and posterior margins almost equal in length or with posterior margin slightly longer, and with apex rather rounded to pointed. Each plate with 4 setae as in diagnosis, all missing; also with 2 or 3 small pores medially; underside of each plate without a cleft on inner margin. Anogenital fold with 2 pairs of short fine setae on anterior margin, 2 or 3 pairs of fine setae along each lateral margin plus 1 seta at posterior end of apodeme. Anal ring bearing 6 setae, located at end of long anal tube, each about 1.5 times as long as anal plates.

Margin. Margin not crenulated. Marginal setae all short, each about 8‒10 (6‒10) μm long (subequal to or slightly longer than a dorsal seta), finely setose and usually slightly bent, with 1‒3 close to each marginal reticulation point; with about 10‒14 on each side between stigmatic clefts. Stigmatic clefts quite deep, each with outer margins almost touching; inner part of cleft widening and becoming quite broad, with inner margin strongly sclerotised; each with 3 or 4 long, narrow, blunt stigmatic spines, each 33‒60 μm long. Cleft margins each usually with 1‒3 marginal setae. Anal cleft with margins touching along entire length. Eyespots oval, located away from margin on dorsum, almost dorsad to scape; each about 33 x 23 (32‒34) μm wide.

Venter. Multilocular disc-pores, each about 5-6 μm wide, mainly with 10 loculi, present in segments VII and VI only, frequency on each side as follows: VII, about 22, and VI, about 18. Spiracular disc-pores, each with mainly 5 loculi, present in a narrow band mainly 1 pore wide between each spiracle and margin, with 20‒26 disc-pores in each anterior band and 28‒39 in each posterior band. Ventral microducts minute; distribution unclear. Ventral setae: a pair of short setae present between antennae; a pair of longer setae present on abdominal segment VII and rather a shorter pair on VI; otherwise, setae very fine, minute and scarce. Antennae very reduced, each consisting of a narrow scape, with remaining segments fused; scape with no setae and remaining setae all situated near apex; total antennal length 58 (49‒58) μm. Clypeolabral shield about 112 μm long. Spiracles small, width of each peritreme 35 (35‒42) μm. Legs minute, each more-or-less reduced to a claw but possibly sometimes absent; digitules not visible.

Comments. All of the available material is in very poor condition but the species is perhaps recognisable by the following combination of character-states: (i) body broadly oval; (ii) anal plates together about as long as combined width; (iii) underside of each anal plate without a deep cleft on inner margin; (iv) margin not crenulated; (v) marginal and dorsal setae very similar in size; (vi) preopercular pores fairly easily distinguishable from dorsal simple pores; (vii) preopercular pores associated with CA1 very few or absent; (viii) each stigmatic cleft with 3 or 4 long, narrow stigmatic spines; (ix) each stigmatic cleft with 1‒3 marginal setae along outer margin; (x) multilocular disc-pores restricted to abdominal segments VI and VII; (xi) legs each reduced to just a claw or absent, and (xii) antennae very reduced, consisting of a narrow scape, with all other segments fused.

In having: (i) a non-crenulated margin; (ii) much reduced antennae; (iii) usually 3 stigmatic setae in each stigmatic cleft, and (iv) body less than twice as long as broad, P. cribrigerum is perhaps closest to P. citri , and P. faveolatum (described as new below). Platylecanium cribrigerum differs from P. citri in having each anal plate 145‒185 μm long and 71‒85 μm wide, whereas each anal plate of P. citri is longer and narrower - about 230 μm long and 65 μm wide ( Takahashi 1942). Platylecanium cribrigerum differs from P. faveolatum in having: (i) multilocular disc-pores each with 10 loculi (only 6 or 7 loculi in P. faveolatum ) and (ii) few preopercular pores, mainly associated with the posteriormost pairs of clear areas, whereas P. faveolatum has many preopercular pores associated with all four pairs of clear areas. Platylecanium cribrigerum is also similar to P. sarawakense , described as new below, but the latter species has: (i) a crenulated margin and possibly (ii) many more multilocular disc-pores in abdominal segment VI.

Platylecanium cribrigerum does not appear to have been recorded since the original collection and is currently only known from Los Baños, Philippines, off Piper loheri ( Piperaceae ). Interestingly, the only other Platylecanium to have been found on Piper sp. to-date is P. faveolatum .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Platylecanium cribrigerum (Cockerell & Robinson), adult female.