Platylecanium vanda 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 : 188-191

Platylecanium vanda Hodgson , sp. nov.

Material examined

Type material: THAILAND: left label: Platylecanium / on Vanda coerulea / Bangkok, Siam at S.F. / Various colrs / Apr. 19, 1948 / San Francisco 24962; right label: Platylecanium / vanda / Hodgson / holotype / paratype ad ♀♀ (3 young adf, plus 2 x second-instar ♀ nymphs: holotype: right-hand specimen, marked with a black line, furthest from label; other specimens here designated paratypes, good) ( USNM) . Other paratypes: THAILAND: left label: Platylecanium / on Vanda coerulea / Siam at D.C. / Lumsden & Adamas coll. / Jan. 20, 1939 / EQ# 65825; right label: Platylecanium / vanda / Hodgson / paratype ♀♀ (1/ 3 specimens: 1 immature adf + 2 x second-instar ♀ nymphs: good) ( USNM) . Also THAILAND: left label: Platylecanium / sp. / on Vanda coerulea / Bangkok, Siam at S.F. / Aug. 27, 1948 / San Fransico 25262; right label: Platylecanium / vanda / Hodgson / paratype ♀♀ (1/5 adff - 1 immature and 4 mature adf, good) ( USNM) .

Other, non-type, material: THAILAND, on Orchidaceae leaf, 11.viii.1975, JFK 1A20371, W. Adams (1/1 mature adf, fair) ( USNM). THAILAND, on leaf of Ascocentrum sp. ( Orchidaceae ), 16.viii.1979, Miami 21476, E.B. Lee (1/3 adf, good) ( USNM). THAILAND, on Vanda sp. ( Orchidaceae ), 17 Mar. 1954, B.P. Stewart, Miami 3042 (1/1 adf, 2 x second-instar males and 1 x second-instar ♀ nymphs; good) ( USNM). THAILAND ( Siam), at D.C., on Vanda coerulea leaf, 31 Mar. 1939, H.L. Sanford, Coll. # 63648 (1/3 adf, fair) ( USNM). INDIA, ex Vanda sp. leaf, 12.1.1971, B. R. Dozier, Miami # 2506 (1/1 adf + 2 x second-instar female nymphs, good) ( USNM).

Note: all of the above material was intercepted on entry into the U.S.A. The description is taken mainly from the type series .

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

Slide-mounted adult female ( Fig. 15 ). Body oval and symmetrical, quite broad and rounded at both ends, length 2.0‒ 4.3 mm, width 1.5‒3.3 mm; anal cleft about 1/7 th of body length.

Dorsum. Derm unsclerotised when young, becoming fairly uniformly sclerotised at maturity but generally palest near margin and most heavily sclerotised medially; a band of areolations present submarginally but often indistinct; with slightly denser derm associated with anal plates, around each clear area and around each eyespot; derm showing no specific variations in sclerotisation in relation to reticulation plates; each stigmatic cleft with a strongly sclerotised inner margin. Layout of reticulation plates rather vague but probably with 4 longitudinal bands on each side. Marginal reticulation points: with 13 between anterior stigmatic cleft and, on each side, 4 between stigmatic clefts and 13 on abdomen (including that along each anal cleft margin). Unsclerotised ray arising from each stigmatic cleft distinct on mature specimen; length of each ray: 500‒750 μm. Dorsal setae robust, each 8‒12 μm long, with a wide basal socket 5‒6 μm wide (socket clearly larger than that of a marginal seta), mostly distinctly curved with a blunt apex; on mature specimens, setae only occasionally slightly raised on a distinct fleshy base, with seta located on apex; setae common in reticulation lines but scarcer medially. Clear areas present as in diagnosis, each surrounded by a group of preopercular pores, each mostly 4.5‒5.0 μm wide (distinctly larger than a dorsal microducts) but a few as large as 8.0 μm wide; each pore with a distinct border and a few dark spots medially; distributed as follows: (anteriormost) CA 1, 2‒15; CA 2, 7‒16; CA 3, 9‒16; CA 4, 7‒16. Dorsal microducts each represented on mature specimens by a clear area in derm, each 2‒3 μm wide, possibly with a short inner ductule; present in a distinct reticulate pattern along with dorsal setae. Anal plates each 176‒210 μm long and 130‒168 μm wide, clearly longer than broad, with a pointed apex; each plate with 4 setae, distributed as in diagnosis; underside of each plate with a distinctly wrinkled posterior margin, and some thickening along inner margin but with no cleft underneath about half-way along 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 a seta at posterior end of each apodeme, 8‒16 μm long. Anal ring with 6 setae, located at end of an anal tube about same length as anal plates; length of anal ring setae each up to 270 μm. Eyespots oval, located on dorsum away from margin, almost dorsad to scape; width of each lens about 17 μm in a socket 20‒40 x 17‒40 μm wide.

Margin. Margin not crenulated. Marginal setae all short, each about 14‒17 μm long (subequal to or slightly longer than a dorsal seta), seta perhaps slightly narrower than dorsal setae but also with a blunt (or slightly capitate) apex; basal-socket also slightly smaller than that of a dorsal seta, with 0 or 1 approximately associated with each marginal reticulation point, each side with a total of about 10‒15 setae (not including those in each cleft). Stigmatic clefts quite deep, with outer margins of cleft almost touching; inner part of cleft widening and becoming quite broad, with inner margin strongly sclerotised; each cleft with 4‒7 long, narrow, blunt stigmatic spines, each 16‒75 μm long, shortest spines located laterally when 7 spines present; cleft margins each usually with 1‒3 marginal setae. Anal cleft with margins touching along entire length.

Venter. Multilocular disc-pores mostly with 10 loculi, present in segments VII and VI only, with 10‒17 on each side of VII and 15‒21 on each side of VI. Spiracular disc-pores, each rather small, mostly with 5 loculi, present in a narrow band mainly 1 pore wide between each spiracle and margin, with 18‒29 disc-pores in each band. Ventral microducts minute; distribution uncertain. Ventral setae: a pair of short setae present between antennae; a pair of long setae, each about 85 μm long, present on abdominal segment VII, plus some quite long setae across all abdominal segments, more anterior and lateral setae becoming shorter; submarginal setae very short, each about 4‒5 μm long. Antennae reduced, usually with a narrow scape and all other segments fused with occasional signs of pseudo-articulations; setae only visible on apical segment; total antennal length 68‒86 μm. Clypeolabral shield about 112 μm long. Spiracles small, width of each peritreme 28‒42 μm. Legs absent (but see Comments below second-instar female below).

Comments. Platylecanium vanda sp. nov. can be recognised by the following combination of character-states: (i) broadly oval shape; (ii) anal plates longer than wide, with posterior margin longer than anterior margin and with a rather pointed apex; (iii) underside of each anal plate showing nothing distinctive; (iv) margin not crenulated; (v) dorsal setae with a blunt apex and a large basal socket; (vi) marginal setae slightly longer than dorsal setae but with a narrower basal socket, each seta with a blunt apex; (vii) marginal setae very few, with only 0 or 1 associated with each marginal reticulation point and with only about 10‒15 per side; (viii) preopercular pores easily separable from dorsal simple pores; (ix) each stigmatic cleft with 4‒7 long, narrow stigmatic spines; (x) multilocular disc-pores restricted to abdominal segments VII and VI; (xi) legs normally absent, and (xii) antennae with a short scape, other segments fused.

Platylecanium vanda is morphologically very similar to P. nepalense but is much smaller when mature and occurs on different hosts. For a comparison, see under P. nepalense above

All of this material was intercepted on entry into the U.S.A., mainly on leaves of the orchid Vanda coerulea Griff. Ex Lindl. Platylecanium vanda , sp. nov. appears to be restricted to Orchidaceae and so far is known only from Thailand and India.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Platylecanium vanda Hodgson, sp. nov., adult female.