Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/90639

Three species of Unaspis occurring in tropical Asia and another one in northeastern Asia are dealt with: U. acuminata (Green), broadly distributed in tropical Asia, U. atricolor (Green), occurring in Sri Lanka and South India, U. pallidicolor, n.sp.,described from Sabah, Borneo Island, and U. turpiniae Takahashi, described from Taiwan and occurring also in southern Japan. These species agree particularly in having the perivulvar disc pores occurring in ‘the acuminata-formula’: 4(6-6)(4-4)=24, or in variations of this formula. They are ovoviviparous, and, therefore, assumed to have no function of the perivulvar disc spores. In spite of this, these disc pores persist, occurring exactly or nearly in the definite pattern. Speculation is made on the original formation and phenotypic reappearance of this static trait.