Trigonocarinatus bilineatus (Kapur) POORANI, 2024

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 : 72

Trigonocarinatus bilineatus (Kapur) , new combination

( Fig. 56 )

Cryptogonus bilineatus Kapur, 1948: 115 .— Poorani 2002: 344.

Diagnosis. Length: 2.50 mm; width: 1.70 mm. Form ( Fig. 56a–c ) short oval, widest around middle, dorsum moderately convex. Head testaceous, with a black frontal macula in male ( Fig. 56c ). Pronotum black except anterior margin narrowly bordered black, lateral margins with a large subtriangular testaceous spot. Scutellar shield and elytra black. Each elytron with a testaceous, longitudinal stripe starting from the humeral callus and reaching the elytral apex as illustrated ( Fig. 56a, b ). Abdominal postcoxal line ( Fig. 56d ) incomplete. Male genitalia ( Fig. 56f ) as illustrated.

Type material examined. Cryptogonus bilineatus Kapur , holotype: “Type (red bordered circular label)/Pula Aor/Bowring 63.47*/The correct spellings of loc. Puliyur (Trichinopoly)— INDIA, A.P. Kapur / Cryptogonus bilineatus sp. nov., A.P. Kapur det. 1946”, abdomen removed, male genitalia on slide ( BMNH).

Distribution. India: South India (Tamil Nadu).

Notes. Kapur (1948) created the bilineatus species group to accommodate C. bilineatus and C. bryanti in view of their characteristic, inverted Y-shaped prosternal carinae. The type locality of C. bilineatus is ‘Puliyar (Trichinopoly)’ (=Puliyur) in Tamil Nadu, South India and despite intensive surveys over the last two decades, I have never collected a specimen with the genitalia matching the illustrations given by Kapur (1948). The penis guide of C. bilineatus in lateral view ( Fig. 56f ) appears to be longer than the parameres in the slide mounted material (BMNH, examined) and also in the illustration by Kapur (1948) but it appears to be distorted and the penis guide appears to be almost flattened; however, the penis is almost identical in T. bilineatus , T. bryanti and T. kapuri .

Figures

FIGURE 56. Trigonocarinatus bilineatus (Kapur), holotype (BMNH): a. dorsal view; b. lateral view; c. frontal view; d. abdomen; e. hind leg; f. male genitalia.