Anophococcus abaii Danzig 1990

Anophococcus abaii (Danzig) (Fig. 51, Plate 4A, distribution map Fig. 88G) Acanthococcus abaii Danzig, 1990: 373–376. Rhizococcus abaii (Danzig); Tang & Hao 1995: 521. Eriococcus abaii (Danzig); Miller & Gimpel 1999: 213. Anophococcus abaii (Danzig); Kozár 2009: 105. Field characteristics: Body of live adult female up to 6 mm long, elongate ovoid. Ovisac ovoid, felted, cream or grey, completely enclosing body. Microscopic diagnosis: Slide-mounted body of adult female oval. Antennae each with 7 segments. Frontal lobes and frontal tubercles present. Eyes situated on submargins. Legs medium sized; each hind coxa anterior surface with spinulae and large translucent pores; femur also with some pores; tibia with 4 strong setae (median seta absent); tarsal and claw digitules slightly knobbed; claw with denticle near tip. Anal lobes sclerotized, each lobe with 4 enlarged setae, 3 of which situated on mesad margin. Anal ring with 1 row of pores and bearing 4 pairs of short setae. Cauda weakly developed (not illustrated). Dorsum. Most abdominal segments each with 7‒10 enlarged marginal setae on either side; marginal setae much longer than dorsal setae. Macrotubular ducts of 1 size, numerous throughout. Microtubular ducts present only on body margin. Venter. Most setae hair-like, but with small enlarged setae present along body margin. Disc-pores each with 2 concentric rings of loculi, inner ring with 5 or 7 loculi, numerous throughout. Macrotubular ducts of 2 sizes: larger type, same as those on dorsum, forming a band around margin; smaller type present in medial areas. Cruciform pores absent. Distribution: Anophococcus abaii is a Palaearctic species known only from Iran, in Kerman, Khorasan -e Jounobi, Semnan and Sistan & Balouchestan provinces (Danzig 1990; García Morales et al. 2016). Host-plants: The scale is only known from Haloxylon sp. (Amaranthaceae) (Danzig 1990; García Morales et al. 2016). Economic importance: There are some records of A. abaii causing severe damage to Haloxylon spp. in Iran. Natural enemies: The following hymenopteran parasitoids of A. abaii have been recorded from Iran: Marietta picta (André) (Aphelinidae), Metaphycus acanthococci Myartseva (Encyrtidae), Pachyneuron muscarum (Linnaeus) (Pteromalidae) and Chartocerus subaeneus (Foerster) (Signiphoridae) (Lotfalizadeh et al. 2019).