Preliminary study of wing interference patterns (WIPs) in some species of soft scale (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Coccoidea, Coccidae)

Ewa Simon

doi:10.3897/zookeys.319.4219

Abstract

The fore wings of scale insect males possess reduced venation compared with other insects and the homologies of remaining veins are controversial. The hind wings are reduced to hamulohalterae. When adult males are prepared using the standard methods adopted to females and nymphs, i.e. using KOH to clear the specimens, the wings become damaged or deformed, an so these structures are not usually described or illustrated in publications. The present study used dry males belonging to seven species of the family Coccidae to check the presence of stable, structural colour patterns of the wings. The visibility of the wing interference patterns (WIP), discovered in Hymenoptera and Diptera species, is affected by the way the insects display their wings against various backgrounds with different light properties. This frequently occurring taxonomically specific pattern is caused by uneven membrane thickness and hair placement, and also is stabilized and reinforced by microstructures of the wing, such as membrane corrugations and the shape of cells. The semitransparent scale insect’s fore wings possess WIPs and they are taxonomically specific. It is very possible that WIPs will be an additional and helpful trait for the identification of species, which in case of males specimens is quite difficult, because recent coccidology is based almost entirely on the morphology of adult females.

Highlights

The superfamily Coccoidea or scale insects contains 7500 species of plant feeding hempiterans, comprising 48 families
The present study looks at a new character present on scale insects wings, which has never been examined before in coccidology - the interference wing patterns (WIPs) of soft scales (Coccidae)
The present study confirmed that wing interference patterns (WIP) are present on the dry, minute and semitransparent wings of male scale insects

Summary

Introduction

The superfamily Coccoidea or scale insects contains 7500 species of plant feeding hempiterans, comprising 48 families (according to ScaleNet data base). Many of them are economically important pest to agriculture, horticulture and forestry (Gullan and Cook 2007). Within this superfamily, there is a very marked dimorphism between the adult male and female, both in their morphology and life histories, such that it is impossible to identify the male and female of the same species (or even family) using the same combination of characters (Koteja 1996). Adult females are sack-like, with the head, thorax and abdomen fused together They are all wingless and many have reduced legs and antennae but the mouth parts are usually well developed. They are usually alate, characterized by diptery, and resemble small delicate flies (Gullan and Martin 2009)

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