Tillancoccus bendovi Hodgson, 2025

Hodgson, Chris, 2025, A new species of the soft scale insect genus Tillancoccus Ben-Dov (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) on coconut palm in Trinidad, Zootaxa 5637 (1), pp. 175-179 : 176-178

Tillancoccus bendovi Hodgson sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Material examined: One slide labelled: left label: TRINIDAD / coconut palm / CIE 5886-17304 ; right label: Tillancoccus / bendovi / Hodgson / Holotype ♀ (1/1 adf, good but with body partially split lengthwise) ( NHML).

Unmounted material. Not seen.

Slide-mounted material. Body almost round, 2.75 mm long, 2.6 mm at widest; length of anal cleft (without anal plates) approximately 1/5 th of total body length. Probably slightly convex in life as derm split on mounting.

Dorsum. Derm fairly heavily sclerotised throughout but degree of sclerotisation varying as follows: (i) with a less sclerotised, fairly broad marginal band about 40‒100 µm wide; (ii) with 19 radial rays of less sclerotised derm extending medially from near margin, each reaching middle of dorsum which is also rather less sclerotised (these rays probably not clear on immature, unsclerotised adult females): with 3 rays on head and, on each side, 1 extending from each stigmatic cleft, 1 between clefts and 6 on abdomen; (iii) derm between radial rays with numerous small nodules throughout ( Fig. 1a ), these absent from each ray and from the marginal band; and (iv) a narrow area of stronger sclerotization around anal plates. Dorsal setae restricted to a line within each radial ray, each seta large, spinose and lanceolate, 23‒37 µm long and about 11 µm wide, with a sharp apex and narrow base, and a basal socket 11‒15 µm wide; with 4‒8 setae in each ray plus an occasional 1 on submargin; each basal socket with 3‒6 closely associated pores. Dorsal pores of 3 types present: preopercular pores, each round and 3.5‒5.5 µm wide, in a non-sclerotised area of derm 8‒12 µm wide; with 54 pores extending anteriorly from anal plates to about metathorax, more or less in two medial bands; and two types of smaller pores: (i) very small pores, probably dorsal microducts, represented by minute pale unsclerotised spots, each about 1 µm wide, in sparse loose groups or short radial lines within the marginal band, with a group either at marginal end of each ray or in a small group near margin between rays; and (ii) slightly larger pores represented by unsclerotised pale spots, each 1.5‒3.5 µm wide, which may be dorsal simple pores, present throughout, including medially and within rays ( Fig. 1b ), and in groups of 3‒6 associated with each dorsal setal socket but absent from marginal band. Submarginal tubercles present, each about 10 µm wide with a broad outer orifice; with 1 on each side of head, 1 on each side between clefts and 2 on each abdominal margin. Pocket-like sclerotizations possibly present submarginally but small and indistinct. Cribriform plate-like structures ( Fig. 1c ) present submedially, mainly on antero-lateral margin of each ray; each with 4‒8 celllike bodies in a cluster, with derm slightly more sclerotised around each group; with 10 on each side. Anal plates as long as their combined widths, each about 143 µm long and combined widths 143 µm; anterior margin slightly concave; apex slightly attenuated; each plate with a sclerotised posterior border and with an area of thickening underneath, running from each outer corner apparently to each anal cleft margin; each plate with a discal seta (missing) and perhaps 3 other small setae (obscure). Ano-genital fold with 2 setae on anterior margin, each outer seta 23 µm long, each inner seta 11‒12 µm long; anterior margins of each anal plate apodeme without setae but with 6 or 7 setae along each posterior margin. Anal ring with 8 setae. Eyespots present just dorsad to margin, each about 22 µm wide.

Margin. Smooth, not crenulated. Marginal setae of 2 types present: (i) a larger seta with a capitate apex, each slightly curved and 28‒30 µm long, and (ii) a smaller, narrow seta with a blunt apex and parallel sides, mainly straight, each 10‒12 µm long; with 11 large setae and 12 smaller setae on head between stigmatic clefts, and, on each side, 4‒6 large setae and 5 small setae between clefts and 15 or 16 large setae and 17 or 18 small setae on abdomen. Stigmatic clefts each distinct and strongly indented but somewhat asymmetrical, each with 3 stigmatic spines clearly set on posterior margin of cleft: 2 small, rather parallel-sided, spines with a blunt apex and 1 much larger stout, but more sharply pointed, and set further back from cleft; larger spines difficult to measure as mostly vertical but perhaps 25 µm long, each smaller spine about 5 µm long.

Venter. Derm membranous. Multilocular disc-pores present in abdominal segment VII only, each with mainly 10 loculi; with a group of about 70 on either side of anogenital area. Spiracular disc-pores present in narrow band 1‒2 pores wide between each spiracle and margin; each pore small with 3‒5 loculi (3 loculi quite common); with 19‒27 pores in each band. Ventral microducts very small, each perhaps 1.0‒1.5 µm wide, probably present throughout. Setae fairly sparse; only 1 pair of pregenital setae present, on abdominal segment VII, each seta about 40 µm long; with 2 pairs of inter-antennal setae: each pair with a long seta perhaps 50 µm long and a small setae about 7 µm long; submarginal setae very small and sparse, many rather close to margin; those close to margin 3‒5 µm long, those situated more medially up to 8 µm long. Antennae 6 segmented, third segment much the longest; total length 225‒235 µm; setal distribution showing nothing distinctive. Clypeolabral shield about 126 µm long; clypeal setae present. Spiracles: anterior pair each 33‒35 µm wide, posterior pair each about 40 µm wide. Legs well developed, each without a tibio-tarsal articulation and with tibio-tarsal segmentation absent or unclear; lengths (in µm) of metathoracic legs: coxa 122‒138, trochanter + femur 185‒195, tibia 113‒118, tarsus 88; setae very few; claw 20‒22 µm long, without a denticle; tarsal digitules both narrow, claw digitules both with broad apices.

Comments. Three species of Tillancoccus were known prior to this study, two on Tillandsia sp. ( Bromeliaceae ), namely T. tillandsiae Ben-Dov from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico and T. mexicanus Ben-Dov from Guatemala and Mexico. The third species, T. koreguajae Caballero & Ramos , is known only from Colombia on sugarcane ( Poaceae ). The new species, T. bendovi Hodgson , was on coconut palm ( Cocos nucifera ) from Trinidad. The genus appears to be restricted to the geographic area around the Caribbean.

Name derivation. The new species name, bendovi , is in recognition of Dr Yair Ben-Dov, the Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel, who introduced this genus and is an acknowledged authority on Coccomorpha from southern Africa and the Middle East. The four species can be separated by the following key.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Tillancoccus bendovi Hodgson, sp. nov., adult female, where a = distribution of small nodules in a radial ray; b = distribution of dorsal pores in a radial ray, and c = a cribriform structure on margin of each ray.