Microcaria pupillata (Swartz)

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 : 198

Microcaria pupillata (Swartz)

( Fig. 140 )

Coccinella pupillata Swartz , in Scĥnherr, 1808: 184 (Type locality: China).

Coelophora pupillata: Mulsant 1850: 397 ; 1866: 263; Crotch 1874: 153; Korschefsky 1932: 296; Kapur 1963b: 264. Bothrocalvia pupillata: Timberlake 1943: 34 ; Poorani 2002a: 322; Ren et al. 2009: 178.

Diagnosis. Length:5.20–6.00mm;width:4.80–5.00mm.Form broad oval,dorsum strongly convex,subhemispherical, and glabrous. Ground colour reddish brown, pronotum with ill-defined dark and paler areas, each elytron with five black spots surrounded by yellowish halos, arranged in a 2-2-1 pattern, two at the level of humeral calli, two around middle and one near apex ( Fig. 140a, b ); occasionally elytral spots reddish brown with yellowish halos ( Fig. 140c ). Abdominal postcoxal line ( Fig. 140d ) incomplete. Male genitalia ( Fig. 140e–h ) as illustrated.

Distribution. India (South Andaman ( Veenakumari & Mohanraj 2007), West Bengal); Nepal; China; Indonesia; Thailand.

Prey / associated habitat. Collected at light (label data, Kapur 1963b); on Ficus leaves ( Veenakumari & Mohanraj 2007). Feeds on Aphis (Toxoptera) citricidus (Kirkaldy) in Hawaii ( Kapur 1963b).

Note. The illustration of Bothrocalvia decemsignata Iablokoff-Khnzorian, 1982 (described from Java) appears to be the same as B. pupillata and it was also recorded from Nepal by Canepari (1997). Kapur (1963b) first recorded it from West Bengal and Veenakumari & Mohanraj (2007) gave notes on its distribution. Also illustrated by Ren et al. (2009) and Yu (2010).

Figures

FIGURE 140. Microcaria pupillata (Swartz): a, b. adult, dorsal view of nominate form; c. dorsal view, variant (BMNH); d. abdomen, male; e–h. male genitalia: e. tegmen, lateral view; f. tegmen, ventral view; g. penis; h. penis apex.