Valid Names Results

Calycicoccus merwei Brain, 1918 (Eriococcidae: Calycicoccus)

Nomenclatural History

• Calycicoccus merwei Brain 1918: 111-112. Type data: SOUTH AFRICA: Durban, on Apodytes dimidiata, 10/07/1916, by C.P.V.D. Merwe; also Illovo River, Natal, on stunted beach form of A. dimidiata, 05/08/1916, by C. Fuller. Syntypes, female, Type depository: Washington: United States National Entomological Collection, U.S. National Museum of Natural History, District of Columbia, USA; accepted valid name Illustr.

Common Names

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 1 | Genera: 1

Geographic Distribution

Keys

• Hodgso2020: pp.19-22 ( Adult (M) ) [Neococcoid higher taxa]
• Hodgso2020: pp.73 ( Adult (M) ) [some “Gondwanan” Eriococcidae]

Remarks

• Systematics: Slide-mounted adult female with: numerous dorsal conical setae; legs and antennae present, but reduced, antennae 4-segmented; anal ring with 6 setae (Brain, 1918); quinquelocular pores near vulva (Ferris, 1957b). C. merwei has been placed in its own, monospecific subfamily, Calycicoccinae Brain, by some workers (e.g., Brain 1918; Koteja 1974b; Tang & Hao 1995) and the analysis of Cook and Gullan (2004) supported this. As pointed out in Gullan et al. (2006), adult male C. merwei share several character-states with adult male Pseudotectococcus, namely (i) eight-segmented antennae; (ii) short, stout fleshy setae on the antennae and legs; (iii) fleshy setae on the abdomen; (iv) absence of a dorsal mid-cranial ridge, and (v) a pair of sclerotised longitudinal ridges on abdominal segment VIII. However, Pseudotectococcus has 2-segmented tarsi. (Hodgson, 2020)
• Structure: Adult female enclosed in galls on leaves of the host plant. Adult female is peg-shaped and wine red in color. The posterior segments accumulate a white powdery secretion. Male puparia clustered on lower sides of leaves. Before forming puparia males are all yellow, but bright pink when older (Brain, 1918).
• Biology: Two types of galls exist. The first is small, flat, and inconspicuous. The second is stout and blunt. The type of gall seems to depend on whether they were formed from upper or lower tissues of the leaf (Brain, 1918). Biological data are provided by Gullan, Gilliomee, Hodgson & Cook (2006).
• General Remarks: Most detailed description and illustration by Brain (1918). Additional description by Ferris (1957b). Gullan, Gilliomee, Hodgson & Cook (2006) redescribe the adult female and its gall, and provide the first descriptions of the adult male, the first-instar male and female, and the second-instar female.

Illustrations

Citations