Kilifia americana Ben-Dov

Family

Coccidae

Field characters

Probably similar to K. acuminata as follows: Body broadly oval, triangular, head narrowly rounded, posterior apex broadly rounded; flat in lateral view; body pale green or yellow green; without an obvious wax covering; ovisac absent. Occurring on leaves.

Validation characters

Anal plates with anterolateral margin longer than posterolateral margin, anterolateral margin more than 2 times length of posterolateral margin; tibio-tarsal spur usually present, usually apically acute, less than ¼ length of tibia; hind 2 pairs of legs conspicuously larger than front legs; hind 2 pairs of coxae with unusual cavity laterodistally; anal plates in middle or anterior part of abdomen; without tubular ducts; dorsal setae capitate; marginal setae conspicuously fringed, slightly enlarged. Other characters: Claw without denticle; claw digitules equal; 1 pair of prevulvar setae (often obscured by anal plates); 5 to 15 submarginal tubercles around body margin; stigmatic setae differentiated from other marginal setae, middle seta longer than lateral setae; each anal plate with 4 apical setae, without a subdiscal seta; with 3 subapical setae on each plate; anal fold with 4 fringe setae; with tibio-tarsal sclerosis; antennae 6-, 7-, or 8-segmented; multilocular pores normally with 5 loculi; multiloculars restricted to vulvar area; preopercular pores present in cluster near anal plates.

Comparison

Kilifia americana is similar to both K. acuminata and K. deltoides by having hind 2 pairs of legs conspicuously larger than front legs; hind 2 pairs of coxae with unusual cavity laterodistally; anal plates with anterolateral margin longer than posterolateral margin; anal plates in middle of abdomen; without tubular ducts. Kilifia americana differs by having anterolateral margin of anal plate more than 2 times as long as posterolateral margin (smaller than 2 times in K. acuminata and K. deltoides).

U.S. quarantine notes

This species was intercepted 17 times at U. S. ports-of-entry between 1995 and 2012, with specimens originating from Costa Rica, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. We also have examined specimens taken in quarantine from Costa Rica (Citrus); Honduras (Citrus); Mexico (Chamaedorea, Citrus, Coffea, Ervatamia, Gardenia); Panama (Citrus). ScaleNet includes hosts in 7 plant families from the Nearctic zoogeographic region only, although we now know that it occurs in the Neotropical region also. It is commonly intercepted on Citrus. No other species of Kilifia other than K. acuminata (Signoret), K. americana and K. deltoides De Lotto have been taken at a U. S. port-of-entry.

Important references

BenDov1979

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