Gossyparia Signoret, 1875

Gavrilov-Zimin, I. A. & Kurochkin, A. S., 2019, Millennial zoological mystery of medieval Persian scientists, Zoosystematica Rossica (China) 28 (2), pp. 201-227 : 206-209

Genus Gossyparia Signoret, 1875

The genus includes two species only: the type species, Holarctic Gossyparia spuria ( Modeer, 1778) , associated mainly with Ulmus spp. ( Ulmaceae ), and Central Asiatic G. salicicola Borchsenius, 1949 , monophagous of Salix spp. ( Salicaceae ). Formally, G. spuria was reported from Azerbaijan as associated with different host plants: Salix sp. , Ulmus sp. , Fraxinus excelsior , and others ( Arutyunova, 1938; Rusanova, 1941), but at that time G. salicicola was still undescribed; so, the presence of both species in Azerbaijan is very probable. As for Iran, G. spuria was recorded and widely distributed there ( Borchsenius, 1949; Moghaddam, 2018 and personal communication), but G. salicicola has not been found, although it present in Turkmenistan, where it was collected in Nohur, only 20 km from the border with Iran (material of A.D. Archangelskaya, deposited in the ZIN RAS), so, the future discovery of the species on Iranian territory is very probable.

Borchsenius, 1949: 328; Matesova, 1967: 1200; Kozár et al., 2013: 262.

Material examined. Lectotype and 1 paralectotype (on the same slide): females, Tajikistan, Hissar Range , near Ziddy Vill., on stem of old willow, 15.VII.1944 (N. Borchsenius leg.).

Other material. Kazakhstan: Kyzylorda Prov.: K 1486, 15, 2 km NE of Kosuyenki Vill., 43°56´12.3´´N, 67°41´09.7´´E, Karatau Range, 390 m altitude, valley of Akuyyk Riv. on branches of Salix sp. , 25. V.2018 (A.S. Kurochkin leg.), 6 females ; K 1493, the same data, but 43°56´06.8´´N, 67°40´50.2´´E, 392 m altitude, 14. V.2018, 2 females ; K 1494, the same data, but 43°56´11.9´´N, 67°40´49.5´´E, 391 m altitude, 4 females ; Turkistan Prov.: K 1496, 11.97 km SE of Tonkeris Vill., 42°0959.25´´N, 70°23´42.08´´E, Western Tian Shan Mts, Ugam Range (1798 m altitude), Sayram-Ugam National Park , valley of Sazanata Riv. , on trunk and branches of Salix sp. , 30. V.2018 (A.S. Kurochkin leg.) ; Almaty Prov.: Alma-Ata , on Salix fragilis , 16. VI.1937 (E. Samoylovich leg.), 4 females . Uzbekistan: Tashkent Prov. , on Salix sp. , VIII.1910 (A.N. Kiritshenko leg.), 3 females ; Chimgan , on willow, 25.VII.1911 (P. Borovskoy leg.), 4 females . Kyrgyzstan: Issyk-Kul Prov.: Karakol , 1910 (D. Pedashchenko leg.), 17 females ; Jalal-Abad Prov.: Kugat Valley , on Salix sp. , 27.VII.1937 (N. Borchsenius leg.), 4 females . Tajikistan: Hissar Range: Kondara Gorge , on Salix sp. , 20. VI. 1975 (E. Danzig leg.), 4 females ; Tavildara Distr.: Tavildara Vill. , on willow, VIII.1959 (E.A. Borovkov leg.) ; Sughd Prov.: Istaravshan , 1939 (Bisha leg.), 5 females ; “ Matga Vill. ”, on Salix sp. , 1942 (Timofeeva leg.), 5 females ; 3 females ; Khatlon Prov.: Panj , on trunk of Salix sp. , 1. VI.1944 (N. Borchsenius leg.) ; Kuhistani Badakhshan Autonomous Reg.: Kalai- Khumb , on Salix sp. , 27.VIII.1959 (E.A. Borovkov leg.) .

Dried colonies of females on pieces of host plants from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan (Nohur), Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan. Four series of females fixed in aceto-ethanol from Kazakhstan.

Morphological description. Adult female. Body egg-shaped, up to 2.5 mm wide, red-brown in life, located inside of grey wax sac which opens on dorsum in ovipositing female ( Figs 6–7). Antennae 7-segmented, each about 250 µm long. Legs with all segments normally developed, without translucent pores; claw with denticle; claw digitules with clavate apices. Anal apparatus with outer row of spinulae, incomplete inner row of pores and eight long setae, each about two times as long as diameter of anal ring. Multilocular pores absent. Quinquelocular pores, each about 5 µm in diameter, scattered on all ventral surface of body, excluding marginal zone of ventral thorax and anterior abdominal sternites. Oval discoidal pores (“cruciform pores” in some authors) each about 3 µm in diameter, forming marginal band on ventral thorax and anterior abdominal sternites. Macrotubular ducts of two sizes, larger ducts, each about Fig. 8. General morphology of Gossyparia salicicola ( Kazakhstan: Western Tian Shan Mts). 25–35 µm long and 8 µm wide forming band along midline of thoracic and anterior abdominal tergites and marginal band along all dorsal surface; occasional ducts also present in medial/submedial zone of abdominal tergites; smaller macrotubular ducts, each about 25–30 µm long and 5–7 µm wide, scattered on all ventral surface of body. Microtubular ducts each about 8 µm long and 1 µm wide, scattered on all dorsal surface of body. Conical setae with more or less blunt apices, each about 25–30 µm long, forming transverse rows on all tergites; largest conical setae (each about 55– 70 µm long) present forming marginal row with four setae on each side of each tergite (Fig. 8). Flagellate setae of different sizes forming transverse rows on abdominal sternites and sparsely present on ventral surface of thorax and head. Numerous minute cuticular tubercles covering all dorsal surface of body.

Morphology of adult males unknown. Primolarva was described by Borchsenius, 1949.

Ontogenesis and mode of life. As all other felt-scales discussed in this paper, the species has two larval instars before moulting into reproducing neotenic female and four preadult instars (two larval + two nymphal) in male (Fig. 9). For the general review of the scale insect ontogenesis and appropriate terminology see Gavrilov-Zimin (2018). According to Matesova (1967), the species has one generation per year. Ultimolarvae hibernate and then moult to imago in April. In the mid-May, females form wax sacs; complete ovoviviparity takes place and the oviposition starts in mid-June and continues about one month. One female produces 305– 418 eggs.

The species is monophagous of Salix spp. , forming dense colonies on trunks and thick branches ( Fig. 7), not infrequently counting thousands of specimens as well as often significantly damaging the host plants ( Matesova, 1967).

Distribution. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan. Probably, the species is more widely distributed in Western and Central Asia; in particular, its probable presence in Azerbaijan and Iran is discussed above.

Fig. 9. Generalised scheme of the life cycle of Palaearcic Gossyparia – Acanthococcus spp. L, larva (without protoptera); N, nymph (with protoptera).