Phrynocaria Timberlake

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 : 229

Genus Phrynocaria Timberlake

Phrynocaria Timberlake, 1943: 34 . Type species by original designation, Coccinella congener Billberg , in Scĥnherr 1808: 179 (= Coccinella unicolor Fabricius, 1792 ).

Phrynolemnia Iablokoff-Khnzorian, 1984: 204. Type species by original designation, Coccinella congener Billberg , in Scĥnherr, 1808. Synonymized by Ślipiński 2007: 176.

Lemnia (Phrynocaria) : Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1984: 205, 210–214.

Artemis Mulsant, 1850: 374 , 388; 1866: 256.— Preoccupied in Lepidoptera [not Artemis Kirby & Spence, 1828 ( Insecta : Lepidoptera : Saturniidae ) ( Ukrainsky 2006: 400)].

Lemnia (Neoartemis) : Ukrainsky 2006: 400 (replacement name for Artemis Mulsant ).

Anegleis (Pseudanegleis) Iablokoff-Khnzorian, 1982: 296 . Type species by original designation, Coelophora perrotteti Mulsant, 1850: 409 .—Synonymized by Poorani 2002: 339.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized beetles, form broadly oval to almost circular, dorsum moderately to strongly convex, glabrous. Anterior clypeal margin of head straight between lateral projections. Antenna with 11 antennomeres, last four forming a terminal club; eyes large, prominent, eye canthus deep and narrow; frons narrow between eyes, markedly divergent and broadened anteriorly toward antennal insertions. Prothoracic hypomeron with distinct foveae near an-terolateral corners. Mesoventrite anteriorly deeply, triangularly emarginate, often with a short, longitudinal carina. Abdominal postcoxal lines incomplete, without an oblique dividing line. Meso-and metatibial spurs absent.

Morphologically Phrynocaria may be confused with related genera such as Coelophora Mulsant, 1850 (including Lemnia Mulsant, 1850 ), Microcaria Crotch, 1871 (formerly a synonym of Coelophora ), and Synona Pope, 1989 sharing a roughly hemispherical body shape with a narrowly explanate elytral margin; however, it is easily distinguished from these genera by the large eyes, much narrower frons (interocular distance at narrowest point from 0.8 to 1.3 times the width of an eye), and lack of meso-and metatibial spurs.

Affinities. Tomaszewska et al. (2021) included it in the Synonycha -group of genera and mentioned about the hitherto unresolved relationship between Phrynocaria and its close relative, Coelophora (including Lemnia ). In their analysis, Heteroneda was also recovered as closely related to Phrynocaria albeit with weak support. Poorani et al. (2021) reviewed the Indian species of Phrynocaria .

Distribution. Oriental, Palaearctic and Australo-Pacific regions.

Biology. Members of this genus seem to prefer whiteflies to aphids. At least two species, Phrynocaria unicolor (F.) and P. perrotteti (Mulsant) , are known to feed on whiteflies in India ( Kapur 1940). Aphids, coccids and psyllids have been recorded as prey of Phrynocaria spp. from Australia ( Pope 1989).

Included species. Poorani et al. (2021) included six species from the Indian region. One new species, Phrynocaria prathapani sp. n., is also described here.