Taxonomy of coccids (Hemiptera: Coccidae: Coccus L.) associated with Crematogaster ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the stems of Macaranga plants (Euphorbiaceae) in Southeast Asia

Abstract

The Southeast Asian soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) associated with ants of the Crematogaster borneensis-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and living in the hollow stems of Macaranga plants (Euphorbiaceae) are revised taxonomically. Ten species of the genus Coccus L. are recognised: seven were described previously and three new species are described herein. The species are: Coccus caviramicolus Morrison, C. circularis Morrison, C. heckrothi Gullan & Kondo sp. n., C. lambirensis Gullan & Kondo sp. n., C. macarangicolus Takahashi, C. macarangae Morrison, C. penangensis Morrison, C. pseudotumuliferus Gullan & Kondo sp. n., C. secretus Morrison and C. tumuliferus Morrison. All of these species are described or redescribed and newly illustrated based on the adult females, and a key to distinguish the species is provided. We designate a lectotype for C. macarangicolus. The first-instar nymphs of all species are morphologically extremely similar and therefore only the first-instar nymph of C. macarangae is described and illustrated. Seven of these species currently are known only from Macaranga, but C. macarangae, C. secretus and perhaps C. pseudotumuliferus have been recorded from the hollow stems of several other ant-plants and a few non-myrmecophytes. The Coccus species from Macaranga are closely related to C. hesperidum L., the type species of the genus, and therefore are retained in the genus Coccus even though the adult females exhibit a few morphological differences from C. hesperidum. The species of Coccus from Macaranga appear to be parthenogenetic because no male nymphs or adults have been found, despite extensive collecting.

Myrmecophytism as a driver of macroevolutionary patterns: perspectives from the Southeast AsianMacarangaant-plant symbiosis

“…Besides nesting spaces, the host plants offer nutrition in the form of lipid-rich food bodies to their ant partners (Fiala & Maschwitz, 1992b; Fiala et al ., 1999). In most Macaranga -associated partnerships, the ants additionally tap nutrients from honeydew derived from scale insects (family Coccidae) that they rear inside the domatia of their host plants (Heckroth et al ., 1998; Gullan et al ., 2018). EFNs are usually also present in Macaranga myrmecophytes but are highly reduced and apparently don’t play a major role in feeding the ant partners (Fiala & Maschwitz, 1991; Fiala et al ., 1999).…”

Review of the Arabian Crematogaster Lund (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), synoptic list, distribution, and description of two new species from Oman and Saudi Arabia

“…Most species are arboreal and build nests in dead branches, under bark or in carton nest structures, or, less commonly, nest directly in soil (Hölldobler and Wilson 1990; Madden and Young 1992; Palmer and Brody 2013). When natural history information is available, these ants are generalized foragers or omnivores with numerous species also tending homopterans and Hemipterans (e.g., Brown 2000; Campbell 1994; Gullan et al 2018; Longino 2003) for honey dew.…”