WHY THE TAXON HOMOPTERA DOES NOT EXIST

WHY THE TAXON HOMOPTERA DOES NOT EXIST Many researchers still use the name Homoptera for the higher taxon of any member of the Sternorrhyncha (Aleyrodoidea, Aphidoidea, Coccoidea and Psylloidea) or Auchenorrhyncha (Cercopoidea, Cicadoidea, Cicadelloidea and Fulgoroidea), or to refer collectively to the Sternorrhyncha plus Auchenorrhyncha. Recent work based on morphological and molecular studies provide phylogenetic evidence that the Homoptera is paraphyletic and therefore its use should be abandoned. Key words: honeydew, ant-attended, sap-sucking, carnivory

COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGY OF THE ANAL TUBERCLE AND ASSOCIATED STRUCTURES OF SOME LAC INSECTS (HEMIPTERA: COCCOIDEA: KERRIIDAE)

COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGY OF THE ANAL TUBERCLE AND ASSOCIATED STRUCTURES OF SOME LAC INSECTS (HEMIPTERA: COCCOIDEA: KERRIIDAE) Specimens of Austrotachardia acaciae (Maskell), Austrotachardia sp. ex Cassinia spp., Kerria lacca (Kerr) and Paratachardina decorella (Maskell) were examined under the scanning electron microscope (SEM). SEM images were compared with observations under the light microscope. The anal tubercles and associated structures of each species are described and compared. The presence of what appears to be vestiges of an anal cleft in Paratachardina is interpreted as suggesting the possible evolution of the lac insects from a lecanoid ancestor that possessed an anal cleft. The results provide an easier interpretation of these characters under the light microscope. Key words: morphology, pre-anal plate, supra-anal plate, tubular plate, anal fringe, anal ring, anal collar, anal ring wax-pores, anal tube, perisetal micropores, homology, Coccidae, Pseudococcidae, Acacia, Callitris, Australia, Thailand

ARE COCHINEAL INSECTS ERIOCOCCIDS?

ARE COCHINEAL INSECTS ERIOCOCCIDS? Scale insects of the genus Dactylopius Costa, which all feed on cacti, are commonly called cochineal insects. Currently there are nine described species placed in their own family, the Dactylopiidae, based on a few unique morphological features. Here we review available biological, morphological and karyotype information on Dactylopius and report on cladistic analyses of morphological data (from first-instar nymphs plus adult females, and adult males separately) and molecular data (from the nuclear gene 18S rDNA and the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase II) from Dactylopius and its potential relatives. We suggest that Dactylopius belongs with the eriococcids and we discuss the nomenclatural implications of this placement. Key words: dye, Eriococcidae, Apiomorpha, Stictococcus, phylogeny, Aclerdidae, Asterolecaniidae, Coccidae, Diaspididae, Eriococcidae, Kermesidae, Kerriidae, Lecanodiaspididae, Phenacoleachiidae, Pseudococcidae, Putoidae, Ortheziidae, Eriococcus, karyology, chromosomes, life history, pigment chemistry