of the family coccidak 

 Table 7 



157 



Characters differentiating male Coccidae and Pseudococcidae compared 

 with conditions in margaroid and dlaspidoid types 



Margar- Pseudo- Cocc- Diasp- 



oid coccidae idae idoid 



\ Primitive characters: 



1. Anterior tentorial pits/arms separate, x 



2. Membranous area of scutum present 



3. Median ridge of basisternum present 



4. Metasternal sclerite present. 



5. Ostiole absent. X 



X 



X 



X 



- 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



15. Specialized characters: 

 1 . Postoccipital ridge absent. 

 1. Scutellum short, transverse. 



3. Metasternal apophyses absent. 



4. Penial sheath elongated 



5. Disc pores on body (other than 

 glandular pouch) absent. 



X 



— 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



A few remarks should be made concerning the interpretation of the phylogenetic 

 significance of the membranous area of the scutum (character A2) as indicated in 

 Table 7. In the primitive margaroid type it is absent in Margarodes (Theron, 1958) 

 and also in Phenacoleachia (Theron, 1962) but developed to some extent in Pseud- 

 aspidoproctus, Steingelia (Theron, 1958) and Icerya (Balachowsky, 1937) ; in the 

 specialized diaspidoid type it is absent (Theron, 1958 ; Ghauri, 1962). Similar 

 considerations make the interpretation of the median ridge of the basisternum 

 (character A3) difficult. The occurrence of both these structures over a wide 

 range within the superfamily, including decidedly more primitive forms, does 

 suggest that, as far as the Coccidae and Pseudococcidae are concerned, their presence 

 signifies a primitive condition. For the opposite to be true it would mean that 

 these structures were absent in their common ancestor and have been evolved 

 independently in the Coccidae, which seems unlikely. As mentioned earlier, two 



