Ceroplastes cirripediformis Comstock, 1881

(Figs 8, 9)

Coccus cirripediformis Comstock, 1881: 333.

Diagnosis. Body covered with grayish white wax without a distinct dorsal horn at maturity (Fig. 8A). Dorsum with Ceroplastes - type pores of 4 types present: mono-, bi-, tri- and quadrilocular pores (Fig. 9A); bi- or trilocular pores frequent; anal plates each with about 4 apical setae; and dorsal setae short with swollen tips, sparsely present except for clear areas (Fig. 9C). Marginal setae numbering only 2 or 3 between anterior and posterior stigmatic clefts on each side (Fig. 9G). Stigmatic clefts shallow, each with conical or bullet-shaped stigmatic spines arranged in 2 or 3 rows (Figs 8C, 9B). Venter with multilocular disc-pores present on all abdominal segments, with a few pores present laterad of meta- and mesocoxa (Fig. 9D); tubular ducts each with a long filamentous inner ductule, present on submarginal area of posterior abdomen and head (Fig. 9E); antenna 6 to 8 segmented, usually with 7 segments (Figs 8D, 9K); and legs each with a tibio-tarsal articulatory sclerosis (Figs 8E, 9F) (partially adopted from Hodgson & Peronti 2012).

Material examined. 15 ♀♀, LAOS, Kham Dist., Xiangkhoang Prov., 3.v.2015, coll. J.Y. Choi, on Alternanthera bettzickiana (Regel) (Amaranthaceae); 1 ♀, Paksong Dist., Champasak Prov., 11.vii.2015, coll. P.P. Soysouvanh, on Plumeria rubra L. (Apocynaceae).

Hosts. Polyphagous. According to García Morales et al. (2016), C. cirripediformis has been recorded from plants belonging to 118 genera in 62 families.

Distribution. Most zoogeographical regions except for the Australian Region; in the Oriental Region, recorded from Indonesia and Philippines (García Morales et al. 2016); Laos (new country record).

Economic importance. Hamon & Williams (1984) and Gill (1988) said that C. cirripediformis is an occasional pest of citrus and diverse ornamental plants in California and Florida, and Bakr et al. (2010) considered it to be a serious pest of guava (Psidium guajava) in Egypt.

Remarks. Ceroplastes cirripediformis is similar to C. sinensis Del Guercio, but can be separated from it by the following morphological differences (character states of C. sinensis in parenthesis): (i) dorsal setae usually with swollen apices (cylindrical with blunt or pointed apices), (ii) filamentous ducts absent (present on ventral submargin), and (iii) multilocular disc-pores present on all abdominal and thoracic segments (restricted to posterior abdominal segments) (partially taken from Gimpel et al. 1974).