Species Acanthococcus tricarinatus (Fuller, 1897)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Eriococcus tricarinatus Fuller, C. 1897. Some Coccidae of Western Australia. Journal of Western Australia Bureau of Agriculture 4: 1344-1346 [1345].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, BMNH Female (There is one slide in the BMNH labeled "Eriococcus tricarinatus Fuller, W. Australia, ex. coll. C. French," but this may not be part of the type series (Gullan, personal communication, June 10, 1996).), AUSTRALIA: Western Australia.

  Type host:

   Eucalyptus gomphocephala

Generic Combinations

• Acanthococcus tricarinatus (Fuller, 1897).

Distribution

States

Western Australia

Ecological Descriptors

Sap-feeder.

GENERAL

Detailed description by Fuller, C. 1899. XIV. Notes and descriptions of some species of Western Australian Coccidae. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1899: 435–473. Comments on the status of this species by Gullan, P.J. & Vranjic, J.A. 1991. The taxonomy of the gum tree scales Eriococcus confusus Maskell and E. coriaceus Maskell (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae). General and Applied Entomology 23: 21–40.

SYSTEMATICS

Maskell, W.M. 1897. Further coccid notes: with descriptions of new species and discussions of points of interest. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 29: 293–331 in his original description of Eriococcus simplex var. dealbata indicated that it was very similar to Eriococcus simplex simplex and differed only in the color of the ovisac. In 1897, Fuller gave a very brief description of Eriococcus tricarinatus. Maskell's paper was published in June 1897 and Fuller's paper was printed August 1897. Fuller, C. 1899. XIV. Notes and descriptions of some species of Western Australian Coccidae. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1899: 435–473 gave a more detailed description of E. tricarinatus under a centered heading "13. Eriococcus simplex, var. dealbatus Maskell." He started the description after the heading as follows " Eriococcus tricarinatus, sp. n. (Plate XV, figs. 6, 6a.)" The species name used for figures 6 and 6a is Eriococcus tricarinatus. It is unclear what Fuller really intended. Did he consider E. tricarinatus to be a junior synonym of E. simplex dealbatus or the reverse? Why did he indicate E. tricarinatus to be a new species when it was previously described? Several authors including Hoy, J.M. 1963. A catalogue of the Eriococcidae (Homoptera: Coccoidea) of the world. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 150: 1–260 and Deitz, L.L. & Tocker, M.F. 1980. W.M. Maskell's Homoptera: Species-group names and type-material. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Information Series 146: 1–76 listed them as synonyms with E. tricarinatus as the senior synonym. Others, including Cockerell, T.D.A. 1899. Article VII. – First supplement to the check-list of the Coccidae. Bulletin of the Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History 5: 389–398, Sanders, J.G. 1906. Catalogue of recently described Coccidae. United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology, Technical Series 12: 1–18 and Froggatt, W.W. 1921. A descriptive catalogue of the scale insects (Coccidae) of Australia. (Part II [Concl.]). Science Bulletin, Department of Agriculture, New South Wales 18: 1–159 considered them to be separate. Gullan, P.J. & Vranjic, J.A. 1991. The taxonomy of the gum tree scales Eriococcus confusus Maskell and E. coriaceus Maskell (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae). General and Applied Entomology 23: 21–40 questioned the synonomy. If E. tricarinatus and E. simplex dealbatus are synonyms, the senior synonym should be E. simplex dealbatus Maskell (June 1897) and the junior synonym should be E. tricarinatus Fuller (August 1897). There also maybe some question as to whether E. simplex dealbatus is a synonym of E. simplex simplex since the only difference mentioned by Maskell in the original description is the color of the ovisac which is prone to variation based on environmental conditions. Therefore, we are considering all three taxa: E. simplex simplex, E. simplex dealbatus and E. tricarinatus to be separate until further study can be conducted.

STRUCTURE

Female sac is elongate-oval, convex. Adult female filling sac, purple or brown in color (see Fuller, C. 1899. XIV. Notes and descriptions of some species of Western Australian Coccidae. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1899: 435–473).

General References

Maskell, W.M. 1897. Further coccid notes: with descriptions of new species and discussions of points of interest. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 29: 293-331 [317-318] (Eriococcus simplex dealbata: described female; incorrect synonymy discovered by : 38)

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