Studies on the genus Ripersiella Tinsley (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Rhizoecidae) in the Neotropical region, with description of a new species

Abstract

The Neotropical scale insect genus Ripersiella Tinsley (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Rhizoecidae) was investigated, based on soil samples deposited at the Hungarian Natural History Museum. Description and illustration of a new species, Ripersiella incarum Kaydan & Szita sp. n., and an identification key and new additional locality records for the currently known Ripersiella species in the Neotropical region, are provided and discussed.

A Neotropical complex of Ripersiella species (Hemiptera, Coccomorpha, Rhizoecidae) collected from the nests of Acropyga ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

“…Pararhizoecus Goux, 1941Goux 1943: 41. Remark. The new species described below are placed in Ripersiella based on the following diagnosis, which is a condensed version of the comprehensive descriptions provided by Kozár and Konczné Benedicty (2007) and Szita et al (2020). For further details on the genus and a broader treatment of species, refer to these references.…”

“…Comments. In Kozár and Konczné Benedicty (2007) and Szita et al (2020), species that lack bitubular cerores but are otherwise morphologically similar to the generic type species, R. rumicis (Maskell), have been tentatively placed in Ripersiella. We maintain the established precedent here.…”

“…In Szita et al (2020), the first couplet in their key to adult females from the Neotropical region distinguishes between species with and species without bitubular cerores (bitubular ducts). Our key to adult females below, restricted to the species lacking bitubular cerores, would substitute their couplets 18-19.…”

“…In recent years, we have discovered several cryptic species of Ripersiella collected from nests of Acropyga ants in the Neotropical region. Each of the cryptic species is similar in appearance to R. andensis or R. colombiensis and they each key out as one of these two species using the best available identification tools (i.e., Williams and Granara de Willink 1992;Kozár and Konczné Benedicty 2007;Szita et al 2020). It is intriguing to discover a complex of similar-looking Ripersiella species all associated with Acropyga ants.…”

“…Furthermore, we provide a key to the Neotropical species of Ripersiella which lack bitubular cerores to aid in the identification of species in the andensis-complex. A thorough treatment of the Ripersiella species from the Neotropical region was recently provided by Szita et al (2020) and is therefore not repeated here. However, we do include descriptions and re-illustrations of R. andensis and R. colombiensis along with comments on their affiliation with Acropyga.…”