Coccophagus japonicus Compere

Coccophagus japonicus Compere

Figs 21 ̄27

Coccophagus japonicus Compere 1924: 122. Holotype ♀, Japan, USNM, examined.

Coccophagus japonicus: Compere, 1931: 54; Liao et al., 1987: 146; Huang, 1994: 183; Xu & Huang, 2004: 373.

Material examined. 8♀ [5♀ on slides, 3♀ ethanol-preserved, NEFU], CHINA, Liaoning Province, Dandong City, 16.X.2014, Yan Gao, reared from Coccus sp. on an orange.

One of the reviewers of this paper confirmed our identification through examining the holotype at USNM. Because the original description and also subsequent redescriptions of the species were quite simple and inadequate, here we provide a more detailed description and figures based on the material from Liaoning Province.

Diagnosis. Body largely dark brown except mesoscutellum largely and third valvula yellow. Antenna with scape and pedicel darker than flagellomeres. Wings hyaline. Legs mostly yellow except pro- and mesocoxae mostly, metacoxa basally, and metafemur about distal three fourths dark brown except extreme distal apex. Head slightly wider than high. Antennae with scape 3.90̄4.27× as long as wide, pedicel shorter than F1, F1 slightly longer than both F2 and F3, F2 about as long as F3; clava slightly shorter than funicle. Mesoscutellum with 3 pairs of setae. Second valvifer 3.69̄3.83× as long as third valvula.

Description. Female. Length 0.93 mm. Body mostly dark brown to black except mesoscutellum largely yellow (about anterior one fourth black). Antenna with scape and pedicel dark brown, flagellum brown. Wings hyaline. Legs (Fig. 26) mostly yellow with the following parts dark brown: pro- and mesocoxae mostly except extreme tips, metacoxa about basal half, and metafemur about distal three fourths except extreme distal apex; fore leg with femur and tibia with more or less brownish suffusion. Third valvula yellow.

Head (Fig. 21), in frontal view, 0.88× as high as wide; frontovertex 0.55× the head width. Face with finely reticulate sculpture. Eyes densely setose, each seta shorter than diameter of a facet. Frontovertex and upper face with numerous brown setae (Fig. 21). Ocellar triangle with apical angle obtuse. Torulus with upper margins above the level of lower eye margins, and separated from mouth margin by about 1.3× their own length. Mandible with two teeth and a dorsal truncation. Antenna (Fig. 22) with scape 3.90̄4.27× as long as wide, 0.88̄0.92× as long as clava; pedicel 1.36̄1.55× as long as wide, and 0.64̄0.83× as long as F1; F1 longest funicular, 1.71̄1.90× as long as wide, 1.10̄1.21× as long as F2; F2 subequal to F 3 in length and width; clava 2.94̄3.33× as long as wide, and slightly shorter than funicle. Flagellomeres with the following number of longitudinal sensilla on one side: 3̄4, 3̄4, 5̄6, 5̄6, 3̄4, 2.

Dorsum of mesosoma (Figs 23, 24) finely reticulate, axillae with lineolate reticulate sculpture laterally. Mesoscutum with median area about 0.7× as long as wide, and densely setose; each lateral area of the mesoscutum with 3 short setae; mesoscutellum 0.75× as long as wide, and 0.9× length of median area of the mesoscutum, and with 3 pairs of setae; axilla with 2 long setae. Metanotum about as long as propodeum. Propodeum with a median sulcus. Fore wing (Fig. 25) 2.37̄2.45× as long as wide; marginal setae short; costal cell shorter than marginal vein, with 6 setae on dorsal surface distally, and with a line of setae on ventral surface; submarginal vein with 7 setae; marginal vein with 14 setae along anterior margin; postmarginal vein distinctly shorter than stigmal vein, the latter with a short neck; stigma swollen posteriorly (Fig. 25) and with sensilla arranged in a line. Hind wing 4.91̄5.17× as long as wide, marginal setae 0.25̄0.32× as long as wing width. Mesotibial spur 0.81̄0.86× corresponding basitarsus; metacoxa 1.50̄1.70× as long as its greatest width and 0.75̄0.85× as long as metafemur.

Metasoma (Fig. 27) about as long as mesosoma. Ovipositor originating from base of TIV, and as long as mesotibia Second valvifer 3.69̄3.83× as long as third valvula, the latter 0.54̄0.69× as long as mesobasitarsus.

Male. Unknown.

Hosts. Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock, C. japonicus Green, C. rubens Maskell, Coccus sp., C. hesperidum (Linnaeus), C. pseudomagnoliarum (Kuwana), Ericerus pela (Chavannes), Pulvinaria aurantii Cockerell, P. citricola (Kuwana), P. okitsuensis Kuwana, Saissetia oleae (Bernard) (Hemiptera, Coccidae); Phenacoccus pergandei Cockerell (Hemiptera, Pseudococcidae) (Xu & Huang 2004; Noyes 2017).

Distribution. China (Liaoning [new record], Beijing, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Hunan, Sichuan, Fujian, Guangdong), Japan, USA.

Comments. Coccophagus japonicus is very similar to C. hawaiiensis Timberlake. The most reliable difference is the colour of the mesofemur (in C. japonicus, completely yellow; in C. hawaiiensis, more or less darkened), as noted by several authors (Compere 1931; Liao et al. 1987; Huang 1994; Xu & Huang 2004). In addition to this important character, the examined Chinese specimens also exhibit the following differences that may be helpful to distinguish these two species: in C. japonicus, antenna with scape darker than flagellomeres, metanotum brownish, and postmarginal vein distinctly shorter than stigmal vein; whereas in C. hawaiiensis, antenna with scape paler than flagellum, metanotum yellow medially, and postmarginal vein almost as long as stigmal vein.