SYSTEMATICS AND MORPHOLOGY: Posters and Abstracts: THE TAXONOMIC RELATIONSHIP OF SOME COCCOIDEA (HEMIPTERA) BASED ON MALE CHARACTERISTICS

Male characters of species from five different families were studied and the taxonomic status of the families are described. A key of characters was presented for adult males. The quantitative evaluation method was applied to assess the relationship between the families. All the characters included were regarded as being of equal importance and those shared by any one family exhibited some differences, justifying the recognition of the taxon as a distinct family. It was found that the Margarodidae were the most primitive group followed by Pseudococcidae. The Diaspididae showed the maximum number of specialised characters, with the Coccidae and Dactylopiidae falling between the Diaspididae and the Pseudococcidae. The Coccidae and Dactylopiidae shared an equal number of characters with the Pseudococcidae and are considered to be close to each other