Pseudaspidimerus mauliki Kapur

POORANI, J., 2024, An illustrated guide to lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of the Indian Subcontinent. Part 3. Tribe Aspidimerini, Zootaxa 5431 (1), pp. 1-89 : 61-64

Pseudaspidimerus mauliki Kapur

( Figs 47 , 48 )

Pseudaspidimerus mauliki Kapur, 1948: 124 .— Chunram & Sasaji 1980: 479; Poorani 2002: 346; Huo et al. 2014: 186. Pseudaspidimerus mauliki var. siamensis Kapur, 1948: 125 .— Poorani 2002: 346.

Pseudaspidimerus siamensis : Chunram & Sasaji 1980: 479.

Aspidimerus rectangulatus Kuznetsov & Pang, 1991: 186 . Synonymized by Huo et al. 2014: 186.

Aspidimerus serratus Kuznetsov & Pang, 1991: 186 . Synonymized by Huo et al. 2014: 186.

Diagnosis. Length: 2.15–2.60 mm; width: 1.80–2.15 mm. Ground colour uniform yellowish/reddish brown, or reddish testaceous; occasionally with a basal black marking on pronotum and three-spotted elytra ( Fig. 47a, b ), both forms similar to P. trinotatus ; in nominate form, elytra black in the basal half, with two reddish brown oblique markings in apical half, elytral apices black ( Fig. 48a–c ); occasionally elytra yellow with a large discal macula ( var. siamensis Kapur ) ( Fig. 48d–f ). Area bound by prosternal carinae ( Fig. 47c ) subrectangular, broad and short, carinae subparallel. Male genitalia ( Fig. 47d–g ) as illustrated.

Type material examined. Holotype, “TYPE (red bordered circular label)/A10.17/Java/Bowring 63.47*/ Pseudaspidimerus undulatus sp. nov. ( TYPE) A.P.Kapur det. 1947/ HOLOTYPE Pseudaspidimerus mauliki Kapur , det. R.G. Booth, 2000” ( BMNH); Pseudaspidimerus mauliki var. siamensis Kapur : “Type (red bordered circular label)/ Siam 1930 L.R.S. Ladell, H. 302/ Pseudaspidimerus mauliki sp. n. siamensis var. n. (Type) A.P. Kapur det. 1947/abdomen and female genitalia on slide, det. R.G.Booth, 2000” ( BMNH). Other material. Bangladesh: Chittagong Univ., 12.ix.1981 /on aphid on Eupatorium odoratum/CIEA 13860/ Pseudaspidimerus circumflexus (Mot.), det. T.G. Vazirani 1982/ Pseudaspidimerus mauliki det. RGB, 2000, 2 ex. ( BMNH).

Distribution. India: Northeastern region (Assam; Nagaland; West Bengal; Tripura); Bangladesh; Vietnam; Thailand; Laos; Indonesia (Java).

Prey/associated habitat. Indeterminate aphids infesting citrus, guava, pigeonpea, and tea; attracted to light.

Seasonal occurrence. Collected during February, May, July, and October in northeastern region (label data).

Notes. The nominate form of P. trinotatus , the most common species in peninsular India and variants of P. mauliki in northeastern India are externally alike and cannot be reliably separated except by the male genitalia. Most of the specimens with trimaculate elytra and identified as P. trinotatus from northeastern India were found to be P. mauliki . Kapur (1948) and Huo et al. (2014) described it in detail. In addition to northeast India and Bangladesh, its range of distribution extends to southeast Asia ( Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia) ( Huo et al. 2014). Aspidimerus rectangulatus Kuznetsov & Pang, 1991 and A. serratus Kuznetsov & Pang, 1991 , were first transferred to Pseudaspidimerus by Huo et al. (2013) and later synonymized with P. mauliki by Huo et al. (2014). Chunram & Sasaji (1980) treated Pseudaspidimerus mauliki var. siamensis Kapur as a distinct species; however, Poorani (2001) and Huo et al. (2014) followed Kapur (1948). Poorani (2001) and Huo et al. (2014) redescribed it with illustrations.

Figures

FIGURE 47. Pseudaspidimerus mauliki Kapur: a, b. dorsal view; c. prosternal carinae; d–g. male genitalia: d, f. tegmen, ventral view; e. tegmen, lateral view; g. penis.

FIGURE 48. Pseudaspidimerus mauliki Kapur, type material (BMNH): a–c. holotype, nominate form; d–f. holotype, var. siamensis.