Peliococcopsis priesneri Laing

Peliococcopsis priesneri (Laing)

(Fig. 19)

Phenacoccus priesneri Laing, 1936: 80. Phenacoccus caucasicus Borchsenius, 1937: 54.

DIAGNOSIS. Body of adult female elongate oval, membranous. Antennae 9 segmented. Legs well developed. Claws with a denticle. Translucent pores present on posterior surfaces of hind tibia. Cerarii usually numbering 18 pairs but sometimes less than 18 when indistinguishable on mesothorax, metathorax, and anterior abdominal segments because cerarian setae widely separated or with only 1 seta. Anal lobe cerarii each with 2 conical setae, plus a few trilocular pores and 2 short setae. Circulus absent. Ostioles well developed. Multilocular disc pores present on both surfaces, arranged in clusters of 5−9 pores, with 1 slender oral collar duct near center of each cluster; clusters arranged dorsally in transverse rows on posterior edges of segments; ventrally in 1 or 2 rows on abdominal segments IV −VIII; also clusters present on lateral areas of thorax and all abdominal segments except VIII, and individually on head. Quinquelocular disc pores distributed over both surfaces, more numerous on venter. Trilocular pores sparsely distributed on dorsum and venter; generally replaced on venter by quinquelocular pores except for few near spiracular openings and on margins. Dorsal oral collar ducts mostly arranged in transverse rows on abdominal segments VI −VIII, plus a few ducts on segments IV and V; ventral oral collar ducts situated across abdominal segments VI −VIII.

DISTRIBUTION. Palaearctic: Armenia, Crete, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Israel, Italy, and Turkey. In Iran, P. priesneri is only known from Fars. It is only known on Poaceae (Ben-Dov et al., 2012).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Fars: Shiraz, Zargan, 7 adult Ƥ, on Cynodon dactylon (Poaceae), 30.vi.2001 (H. Lotfalizadeh).