Peliococcus ocanae Goux

Peliococcus ocanae Goux

(Fig. 7)

Peliococcus ocanae Goux, 1990: 86.

Material studied. Holotype: 1 adult female: France, Corsica, Ocana, Gorges Du Prunelli, on Lavandula stoechas (Lamiaceae), 23.viii.1951, coll. L. Goux (MNHN: 14758).

Description. Adult female . Body elongate oval, 1.94 mm long, 1.35 mm wide. Eye marginal, 37.5–40.0 µm wide. Antenna 9 segmented (pseudosegmentation on segment 3), 370–390 µm long; apical segment 50.0–52.5 µm long, 32.5–35.0 µm wide; apical setae 35 µm long, plus 3 fleshy setae, all broken. Tentorium 175 µm long, 120 µm wide. Labium 100 µm long, 112.5 µm wide. Anterior spiracles 55–60 µm long, 30 µm wide across atrium; posterior spiracles 55–60 µm long, 35.0–37.5 µm wide. Circulus small, oval, 80 µm wide. Legs well developed; posterior legs: coxa 95 µm long; trochanter + femur 235 µm long; tibia + tarsus 260 µm long, tibia with around 9 translucent pores in total; claw 25 µm long. Ratio of lengths of tibia + tarsus to trochanter + femur 1.11:1; ratio of lengths of tibia to tarsus 2.37:1; ratio of length of trochanter + femur to greatest width of femur 3.35:1. Tarsal digitules all broken. Claw digitules knobbed, subequal in length, each about 20 µm long. Anterior ostioles with a total for both lips of 8 or 9 trilocular pores and 2 setae; posterior ostioles with a total for both lips of 17–19 trilocular pores and 2 or 3 setae. Anal ring 70 µm wide, with 6 setae, each seta 70–80 µm long. Cerarii slightly sclerotized, numbering 17 marginal pairs; anal lobe cerarii each with 2 slender enlarged setae, both broken, 10 or 11 trilocular pores plus 1 or 2 spine-like auxiliary setae; other marginal cerarii each with 2 enlarged setae and 1 or rarely 2 trilocular pores; with 1 dorsal cerarius, present medially on abdominal segment VII, with 2 spine-like setae, 17.5 µm long, plus 3 trilocular pores.

Dorsum. Setae spine-like, each 7.5–15.0 µm long, setae on surface not similar cerarian setae but with a trilocular pore near basal socket. Clusters each with 1–3 multilocular disc pores, each disc pore 7.5–10.0 µm wide; each cluster with a single oral collar tubular duct, 10–11 µm long, 4–5 µm wide, in centre; with a total of 12 clusters present on head and thorax; also present on abdominal segments as follows: I 2, II 6, III 3, IV 5, V 6, VI 3, VII 6, VIII+IX none. Trilocular pores, each 4–5 µm in diameter, scattered throughout.

Venter. Setae of 2 types: (i) slender hair-like setae, each 12.5–60.0 µm long (most broken), longest medially on head; and (ii) spine-like setae, each 5–10 µm long, in a submarginal band. Apical setae on both anal lobes broken. Multilocular disc pores, each pore 7.5–8.0 µm in diameter, present in bands across abdominal segments as follows: IV12, V 27, VI 59, VII 43, VIII + IX 28; also in clusters, each with 2 or 3 pores, with a single oral collar tubular duct in centre, each duct 10–11 µm long, 4–5 µm wide; clusters also present medially in abdominal segments I–IV and submarginally in thorax and abdomen plus a few on head. Trilocular pores, each 3–4 µm in diameter, scattered throughout. Quinquelocular pores absent. Oral collar tubular ducts of 2 sizes: larger ducts in each cluster as described above; and smaller ducts, each 7.5–8.0 µm long, 3.0–4.0 µm wide, concentrated on body margins of abdominal segments V-VIII+IX and in a single row on abdominal segments as follows: V 26, VI 38, VII 26, VIII + IX 11.

Comments. Peliococcus ocanae can be distinguished from all other species in the genus in having each dorsal cluster with only 1 size of oral collar duct and 1–5 multilocular disc pores. P. ocanae is most similar to P. ro s a e, P. morrisoni and P. phyllobius but differs in the absence of quinquelocular pores on the venter and in having translucent pores on the hind tibia (absent on the other three species).

Danzig & Gavrilov-Zimin (2014) regarded this species as a junior synonym of Seyneria porticcia Goux, but it can be seen easily that there are two sizes of oral collar tubular ducts on the dorsum of S. porticcia, whereas there is only one size of oral collar tubular duct on P. ocanae. In addition, Seyneria is diagnosed by having oral collar tubular ducts with enlarged collars that protrude slightly from derm surface but P. ocanae does not have such oral collar tubular ducts. The synonymy and generic placement of P. ocenae proposed by Danzig & Gavrilov-Zimin (2014) is therefore rejected.

Host plants. On Lavandula stoechas (Lamiaceae).

Distribution. France (Corsica).