Xenococcus annandalei
Xenococcus annandalei is a species of mealybug in the family Pseudococcidae that infests the roots of certain species of trees.
Description
The adult female X. annandalei is an elongated oval shape with an abdomen that tapers abruptly at the back. The antennae are nearly as long as the body and have four segments. There is a special means of articulation between the enlarged first and second segments so that the antennae can be folded back along the body. The back is covered in minute setae which take the place of the mealy wax found on most mealybugs. In fact there are no body wax pores. The underside has fewer longer setae. The legs are well developed and terminate in a long slender claw. The anal ring lies at the apex of the abdomen and projects beyond the ventral anal lobes. The ring has eight setae, the anterior two pairs slender and the posterior pair thick and long. There are two circuli which are round, sclerotized and slightly conical.This is a subterranean species found in the nests of the ant Acropyga acutiventris, living on the rootlets of Ficus species. When the soil is damp and warm both ants and mealybugs are found near the surface under stones but in cold or dry weather they go much deeper into the soil. If the nest is disturbed, the ants carry away mealybugs in their mandibles.