Drepanococcus chiton (Green)

Family

Coccidae

Field characters

The following information is based on the description of Green (1909a). Test of adult female oblong oval, narrower behind; strongly convex; glassy brittle, dorsal surface with symmetrically disposed longitudinal series of irregularly polygonal waxy plates, each plate of a depressed conical form, with radiating ridges and striae and concentric corrugations, the apex sometimes broadly pointed; margin closely studded with prominent conical points. Colorless or faintly tinged with green; the reddish brown color of the shrunken insect showing through the thinner parts of the anterior half. According to Williams and Watson (1990) when the eggs are laid, they push the posterior part of the adult female forward and upward inside the test until the abdomen lies perpendicular to the anterior part of the body. Accompanying habitus image shows grayish test.

Validation characters

Marginal setae spinose; single long seta laterad of each spiracle; without dorsal setae; tubular ducts present over entire venter, without expanded filament; without elongate prevulvar setae. Other characters: Multilocular pores predominantly with 10 loculi, scattered over ventral abdomen; multilocular pores anterior of anterior spiracle, when present, predominantly with 5 loculi, about same size as pores laterad of anterior spiracle; without tibio-tarsal sclerosis; claw with small denticle; digitules equal in size; antennae 8-segmented; anal plates lobe like, with broadly rounded angles, posterior and anterior margins about equal; each anal plate with 1 subapical seta, 4 apical setae, and no subdiscal seta; anal fold with 6 fringe setae; preopercular pores inconspicuous, scattered over medial areas of abdomen forward to thorax; without submarginal tubercles.

Comparison

Drepanococcus chiton is similar to D. cajani Maskell but can be separated by the antennal segments which are longer than wide (about equal in width and length in D. cajani), the preopercular pores are small and inconspicuous and occur near the anal plates forward to the thorax (large and conspicuous and occur to segment 6 on D. cajani), and multilocular pores restricted to the abdomen (present on metathorax on D. cajani).

U.S. quarantine notes

This species was intercepted 22 times at U. S. ports-of-entry between 1995 and 2012, with specimens originating from Colombia, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. We also have examined specimens taken at U. S. ports-of-entry from Thailand (Nephelium). ScaleNet includes hosts in 16 plant families. It is commonly intercepted on Sapindaceae (Dimocarpus and Nephelium). ScaleNet distribution records for D. chiton include the following regions: Australasian (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands); Oriental (several countries); and the Palaearctic (China). One other species of Drepanococcus other than D. chiton has been taken at U. S. ports-of-entry, D. cajani (Maskell) (The Philippines, on Lansium).

Important references

Green1909a; Hodgson1994a; WilliaWa1990

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