Three new Australian species of the armoured scale Genus Aspidiotus Bouche, 1833 (Hemiptera: Diaspididae: Aspidiotini), including an emerging pest of cycads

An undescribed species of the genus Aspidiotus Bouché (Diaspididae) has been causing dieback of native cycads (Macrozamia communis L.A.S. Johnson) in Murramarang National Park, New South Wales. Here we describe the new species as Aspidiotus murramarangensis Normark, Normark and Gullan, sp. n., and report it from a nearby second coastal site in New South Wales. We also describe two other similar Australian species with which it may be confused: Aspidiotus arrawatta Normark, Normark and Gullan, sp. n., and Aspidiotus kamberra Normark, Normark and Gullan, sp. n. All are morphologically similar to and likely close relatives of Aspidiotus nerii Bouché, 1833. These four species, along with the New Caledonian species Aspidiotus cochereaui Matile-Ferrero and Balachowsky, 1973, comprise the Aspidiotus nerii complex. They differ from all other species of Aspidiotus, and from most other members of the tribe Aspidiotini, by the adult females having short dorsal macroducts, only two to four times as long as they are wide. We provide a key to the Australian species of Aspidiotus, and a table comparing the character states that differ between the Australian species of the A. nerii complex. A new illustration of the adult female of A. nerii is provided for comparison with the new species. Aspidiotus nerii has one of the broadest host ranges ever reported for an herbivorous insect, while two of the new species appear to be narrowly specialised on Macrozamia cycads.