Valid Names Results

Pulvinaria rhododendri Kahrer & Hodgson, 2024 (Coccidae: Pulvinaria)

Nomenclatural History

• Pulvinaria rhododendri Kahrer & Hodgson 2024: 234. Type data: DENMARK: Hadsund South, garden, on Rhododendron sp., 05/25/2023, leg. Overgaard, deposited at Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Austria. Holotype, female, by original designation Type depository: Fukuoka: Entomological Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan; London: The Natural History Museum, England, UK; Paris: Museum National d'Histoire naturelle, France; St. Petersburg: Zoological Museum, Academy of Science, Russia; Vienna: Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Austria; accepted valid name Notes: Paratypes: collection data as for holotype, 3 deposited in each of NHML, MNHN, ELKU and ZIAS Illustr.

Common Names

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 1 | Genera: 2

Geographic Distribution

Keys

Remarks

• Systematics: Pulvinaria rhododendri Kahrer & Hodgson, sp. nov. is very similar to P. floccifera and P. camelicola but differs from both (and all other Pulvinaria species) in having the following combination of character-states: (i) a medial band of large conical spinose setae extending from the anal plates anteriorly onto the head; and (ii) simple pores with a strongly sclerotised rim present in a narrow medial band between the large conical spinose setae. It also differs from P. floccifera in having (character state of P. floccifera in parenthesis) type III tubular ducts present submarginally between the lateral stigmatic clefts (absent) (Kahrer & Hodgson 2024).
• Structure: Live appearance: Adult female pale yellowish green, covered in a thin coating of white wax strands; body subcircular to oval. Ovisac white, fairly convex, with slight ridges (many transverse and 1 longitudinal), up to 10 mm long or more. Slide-mounted adult female: Body elongate oval, with shallow stigmatic clefts, and an obvious anal cleft about 1/7th of body length; probably not very convex in life, 2.23–3.30 mm long and 1.50–2.45 mm wide (Kahrer & Hodgson 2024).
• Biology: Pulvinaria rhododendri Kahrer & Hodgson has been collected from Rhododendron spp. in Denmark and Norway; also, from Vaccinium myrtillus L. (Ericaceae) in Norway, but only when Rhododendron spp. was present nearby (Inger-Lise Fonneland, pers. comm.). (Kahrer & Hodgson 2024)
• Economic Importance: Pulvinaria rhododendri, like other Pulvinaria species, produces copious honeydew, so sooty mould growths are a major problem, forming an unsightly, thick layer that covers the leaves. However, so far it does not appear to cause host die-back or other problems (Bodil Damgaard, pers. comm.). (Kahrer & Hodgson 2024)
• General Remarks: To date, no geographic surveys have been carried out to determine the wider distribution of the species; it could be more widespread because cultivated Rhododendron spp. are popular plants and are frequently moved about in the plant trade. In the field, the new species is somewhat similar in appearance to P. camelicola, for which it may have been mistaken by non-entomologists in the past. (Kahrer & Hodgson 2024)

Illustrations

Citations