Revision of Poliaspis (Hemiptera, Coccoidea, Diaspididae), with descriptions of 8 new species from Australia

Zookeys. 2011:(137):1-40. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.137.1786. Epub 2011 Oct 14.

Abstract

Eight new Australian species of Poliaspis are described and illustrated: Poliaspis alluviasp. n., Poliaspis araucariaesp. n., Poliaspis ceraflorasp. n., Poliaspis naambasp. n., Poliaspis nalbosp. n., Poliaspis narungga sp. n., Poliaspis ozothamnaesp. n., and Poliaspis waibenensissp. n. Two described species are transferred into Poliaspis and are redescribed and illustrated: Lineaspis callitris (Laing) originally described by Laing as a species of Poliaspis, is transferred back into Poliaspis as Poliaspis callitris Laing, comb. rev., and Leonardaspis wilga (Leonardi) is transferred to Poliaspis as Poliaspis wilga (Leonardi), comb. n. Descriptions and illustrations are also provided for six of the fourteen previously-named Poliaspis species, including five from Australia: Poliaspis attenuata Brimblecombe, Poliaspis elongata Brimblecombe, Poliaspis exocarpi Maskell, Poliaspis nitens Fuller, and Poliaspis syringae Laing. Both Poliaspis cycadis Comstock and Poliaspis gaultheriae Green become junior synonyms of Poliaspis media Maskell. The species not treated here are Poliaspis intermedia Fuller (the location of the types is unknown and Fuller's description is inadequate), Poliaspis casuarinicola Lindinger (missing types), Poliaspis incisa Takagi and de Faveri (recently, and well described in Takagi and de Faveri 2011), and the six New Zealand species recently revised by Henderson (2011). In addition, Laingaspis lanigera (Laing), the adult female of which has 8 clusters of perivulvar pores - as in Poliaspis species - is redescribed and illustrated. Lectotypes are designated for Laingaspis lanigera, Poliaspis callitris, Poliaspis exocarpi, Poliaspis media, and Poliaspis wilga. A key is provided to the species of Poliaspis, excluding Poliaspis casuarinicola and Poliaspis intermedia butincluding Poliaspis incisa and the New Zealand species: Poliaspis chathamica Henderson, Poliaspis floccosa Henderson, Poliaspis lactea (Maskell), Poliaspis media Maskell, Poliaspis raouliae Henderson and Poliaspis salicornicola Henderson.

Keywords: armored scale insects; species descriptions; taxonomy.