Novius amabilis (Kapur)

Poorani, J., 2023, A review of the tribe Noviini (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of the Indian subcontinent, Zootaxa 5311 (1), pp. 1-47 : 6-8

Novius amabilis (Kapur)

( Figs 3 , 4 )

Rodolia amabilis Kapur, 1949: 536 .

Novius amabilis: Pang et al. 2020: 18 .

Diagnosis. Length: 2.88–3.18 mm; width: 2.46–2.76 mm. Form ( Fig. 4g, h ) subrounded, slightly narrowed towards apex in distal half, dorsum moderately convex. Prosternal process ( Fig. 3a ) short, squat and subtrapezoidal, with long silvery white hairs. Abdominal postcoxal line ( Fig. 3b ) complete, shallowly semicircular. Last visible abdominal ventrite distinctly but shallowly emarginate in male and subtruncate in female. Female genitalia ( Fig. 3c ) as illustrated, spermatheca ( Fig. 3d ) sausage-shaped. Can be reliably differentiated only by the male genitalia ( Fig. 3e–h ) having parameres densely setose for more than three–fourths of their length.

Immature stages. Larva ( Fig. 5a–d ) reddish or pinkish red, occasionally with a fine powdery dust on dorsal side; pupa ( Fig. 5e ) orange or reddish.

Material examined. Type material: “ Holotype (red bordered circular label)/S. India, Bhatteshally, 24.iv.1947, Plant Protection Adviser, 2/IMP. INST. ENT. COLL. No. 10688/Feeding on Icerya purchasi /Pres. By Imp. Inst. Ent. B.M. 1947-405/ Rodolia amabilis n.sp., A. P. Kapur 1947”, specimen on minute pin on rectangular card, appears to be a female ( BMNH); 2 paratypes with same data except Paratype label in yellow and genitalia vial pinned onto the specimens ( BMNH); “Cotype (yellow bordered circular label)/Feeding on Icerya purchasi Maskell, Thowarekere, Mysore state, V.P. Rao, 1-12-44/Impl. Entomologist, Identification 12 of 1945/ Rodolia amabilis Kapur , Paratype, A.P. Kapur det. 1947/Pres. By Imp. Inst. Ent. B.M. 1947-405” ( BMNH); “Paratype (yellow bordered circular label)/ INDIA: Poona, 9.vi.1947, Plant Protection Adviser/Feeding on Icerya purchasi /Imp. Inst. Ent. Coll. No. 10688/Pres. By Imp. Inst. Ent. B.M. 1947-405” ( BMNH). Others. INDIA: Tamil Nadu : Podavur, NRCB Research farm, collected on guava and banana (10 ex); several specimens received for identification from Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra.

Distribution. India (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh); Sri Lanka.

Prey/associated habitat. Aleurodicus dispersus Russell (Aleyrodidae) ; Icerya aegyptiaca (Douglas) , Icerya purchasi Maskell , Icerya seychellarum (Westwood) ( Puttarudriah & Channabasavanna 1957; label data) ( Monophlebidae ); Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell) (Pseudococcidae) . Indeterminate Sternorrhyncha.

Associated with Icerya infestations on sugarcane, citrus, casuarina, mandarin orange, Ficus benghalensis , Acalypha indica , and ornamental plants. Puttarudriah & Channabasavanna (1953, 1957) provided brief notes and Subramaniam (1955) studied its biology.

Seasonal occurrence. Active in January–March, and June–August in South India; collected during October and December in and around Bangalore.

Notes. It is the most common species in southern India along with N. fumidus . It can be reliably separated from N. breviusculus (Weise) , another common species, by the male genitalia, particularly the parameres that are densely setose for more than three–fourths of their length and the short, squat and roughly trapezoidal prosternal process. It also appears to be more brightly reddish than N. breviusculus and has a broader and shorter oval form (based on BMNH material of N. breviusculus ). Kapur’s (1949) illustration of the female spermatheca of N. amabilis certainly belongs to some other species of Novius because many conspecific female specimens reared in the laboratory and confirmed as N. amabilis based on the male genitalia illustrations of Kapur (1949) do not have the type of spermatheca illustrated in his work but are sausage-shaped as in other species like N. breviusculus and N. pumilus .

Natural enemy. Homalotylus flaminius (Dalman) ( Hymenoptera : Encyrtidae ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Novius amabilis (Kapur). a. prosternal intercoxal process; b. abdominal postcoxal line; c. female genitalia; d. spermatheca; e–h. male genitalia: e. tegmen, lateral view; f. tegmen, inner view; g, h. penis.

FIGURE 4. Life stages of Novius amabilis (Kapur): a, b. larvae feeding on Hemaspidoproctus cinereus; c, d. larvae feeding on Icerya sp.; e. pupa; f. eclosing adult; g, h. adult, dorsal view.

FIGURE 5. a. Novius andamanicus (Weise) (BMNH); b. Novius rubeus (Mulsant) (BMNH); c–e. Novius andamanicus (Weise) (from Andamans): c. dorsal view; d. lateral view; e. frontal view.