Oenopia excellens (Crotch)

POORANI, J., 2023, An illustrated guide to lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of the Indian Subcontinent. Part 1. Tribe Coccinellini, Zootaxa 5332 (1), pp. 1-307 : 208

Oenopia excellens (Crotch)

( Fig. 148 )

Dysis excellens Crotch, 1874: 160 (Lectotype female, BMNH; Type locality: “ Cochin China ”).

Dysis excellens: Korschefsky 1932: 298 ; Gordon 1985: 20.

Oenopia excellens: Poorani & Booth 2005: 2 .

Oenopia excelens (sic): Kovář 2007: 72.

Diagnosis. Length: 2.88–3.06 mm, breadth: 2.52 mm. Form almost circular in male ( Fig. 148a ), distinctly more elongate and oval in female ( Fig. 148b ). Head black in female and yellow in male. Head yellow, pronotum and elytra dark pitchy brown to black, Pronotum black, sides and anterolateral corners white when alive, turning creamy yellow to yellow in preserved material. Scutellar shield black. Elytra black with four reddish-orange or yellow spots arranged in two rows, one in either half of elytra, anterior pair large and transverse, posterior pair more or less oval and much smaller. Ventral side dark brown except prothoracic hypomeron and mesepimeron whitish to creamy yellow, legs dark brown except femoral apices, tibiae, and tarsi much lighter brown. Male genitalia ( Fig. 148d, e ) and spermatheca ( Fig. 148c ) as illustrated.

Distribution. India: Northeastern region (Assam, Nagaland); Vietnam / Cambodia (“ Cochin China ”); Myanmar; Laos.

Prey / Associated habitat. The specimens examined were collected on citrus, guava, and rice from northeastern India (label data).

Seasonal occurrence. Collected during March–April, July and November (label data).

Notes. Originally described as Dysis excellens , it was transferred to Oenopia and redescribed by Poorani & Booth (2005). It is externally similar to Oenopia guttata (Blackburn, 1892) , a species found in Australia and New Guinea. Kovář (2007) listed ‘ O. excelens’ as a new combination and wrongly synonymized O. guttata with ‘ O. excelens’.

Figures

FIGURE 148. Oenopia excellens (Crotch): a, adult male, dorsal view; b. adult female, dorsal view; c. spermatheca; d, e. male genitalia: d. tegmen, ventral view; e. penis.