Novius nigrofrontalis (Kapur)

Poorani, J., 2023, A review of the tribe Noviini (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of the Indian subcontinent, Zootaxa 5311 (1), pp. 1-47 : 26

Novius nigrofrontalis (Kapur)

Rodolia nigrofrontalis Kapur, 1951: 5 .

Novius nigrofrontalis: Pang et al. 2020: 19 .

Diagnosis. Length: 3.00– 3.20 mm; width: 2.45–2.70 mm. Body subhemispherical, closely resembling R. amabilis in size and outline. Head piceous, rest of dorsum uniformly reddish brown with a slight tinge of carmine, antennae and mouthparts reddish brown. Ventrite 6 posteriorly weakly emarginate in male, entire and rounded in female. “Very close to R. amabilis from which it is distinguished by the black front of the head, the coarser punctures on the elytra and by the structure of the genitalia (...) mainly the penis guide that is distinctly narrower and harply pointed towards the apex” ( Kapur 1951). Male genitalia illustrated by Kapur (1951).

Distribution. India (Kerala).

Notes. Kapur (1951) described it from the southern Indian state of Kerala and illustrated the genitalia that are unique and diagnostic. It appears to be a rare species endemic to the Western Ghats of India and specimens are not available for study.