Dysmicoccus boninsis Kuwana

Dysmicoccus boninsis (Kuwana)

(Fig. 9)

Dactylopius (Pseudococcus) boninsis Kuwana, 1909: 161. Trionymus taiwanus Takahashi, 1932: 41. Pseudococcus aegyptiacus Hall, 1925: 8. Pseudococcus heterospinus Green, 1923: 91. Trionymus kayashimai Takahashi, 1951: 14. Vryburgia graminea De Lotto, 1967: 25. Pseudococcus zeae Kanda, 1943: 49.

DIAGNOSIS. Body of adult female elongate oval to oval. Anal lobes moderately developed. Antennae usually 8 (occasionally 7) segmented. Legs well developed; translucent pores present on hind coxa, and a few also on outer distal edge of hind tibia. Cerarii numbering 6 or 7 pairs on abdomen. Anal lobe cerarii each with a pair of conical setae, about 7 auxiliary setae and a concentration of trilocular pores, all on a lightly sclerotized area varying in size but sometimes almost same size as anal ring. Anterior cerarii each with 2 short conical setae, a few trilocular pores, and only an occasional auxiliary seta, on posterior segments; plus a frontal pair often present on head. Circulus variable in shape and notched on each side. Ostioles well developed, but lips without setae. Multilocular disc pores present medially on venter, mainly on abdominal segment V and posterior segments, not reaching to margins. Oral collar ducts of 2 main sizes, numerous. On dorsum, large ducts present in rows across most abdominal segments and around lateral margins as far forward as head; a group of dorsal ducts also present across thorax dorsal to labium; and with similar ducts on venter of abdomen and around margins. A few narrow tubular ducts present on dorsum of abdomen.

DISTRIBUTION. Afrotropical, Australasian, Nearctic, Neotropical, Oriental, Palaearctic: Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Iran, Japan and Spain. In Iran, D. boninsis occurs in Khouzestan. It is known from 10 plant families worldwide (Ben-Dov et al., 2012).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Khouzestan: Ahvaz, 5 adult Ƥ, on Lactuca sp. (Asteraceae), 1993 (G. Asadeh).

COMMENTS. D. boninsis is often known as the 'gray sugarcane mealybug'. This mealybug has been reported from most sugarcane areas of the world (Ben-Dov, 1994), but it also infests a wide range of other grasses. Asadeh & Mosaddegh (1991) reported D. boninsis for the first time in Iran around a sugarcane field on Lactuca sp. The plant family Asteraceae is first record for this species.

The accompanying illustration first appeared in Williams (1970) and is used here with permission from CABI Publishing.