Third taxonomic study of California mealybugs, including additional species from North and South America (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae)

Abstract does not appear. First page follows.

Introduction

Originally, the main objective of the taxonomic project on Pseudococcidae was to describe and delineate new California species, and to comment, if necessary, on the systematic status of other named forms occurring in the state. It has been necessary, for obvious reasons, to consider species beyond the California boundaries. Even in the first study3 of this series it was desirable to recast and revise the key to North American genera of Pseudococcidae because of changes in the classificatory status of certain generic categories. This key also included two new genera described at that time, which further justified its alteration. In addition, keys to species of certain North American groups were modified to include the 28 new California segregates. The second study4 of this series presented the description of an additional 13 new California mealybugs, and, like the first publication, keys were altered to accept them.

This study includes the descriptions of two new North American pseudococcid genera, one discovered in Arizona, the other in Texas. With the discovery of these two new genera, it seemed advisable once again to revise the generic key to North American Pseudococcidae; the key follows at the conclusion of this introduction. Sixteen new species of mealybugs are described from the following areas: 3 from Arizona, 3 from California, 4 from Mexico, 4 from Nevada, 1 from Peru, and 1 from Texas. Specific keys to certain of these groups, particularly where two or more new forms are involved, are amended to include the new North American species herein described. Since the new Puto described in this paper is South American in origin, no attempt was made to revise the key to North American components of this group. The number of new species for California described in the series of three studies now totals 44.