Calvia breiti Mader

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 : 52

Calvia breiti Mader

( Fig. 32 )

Calvia (Anisocalvia) breiti Mader, 1932: 6 (Syntype; Type locality: Manali Kulu , Himachal Pradesh).

Calvia breiti: Korschefsky 1932: 589 ; Booth 1997: 930; Poorani 2002a: 323; Yu 2010: 53–54.

Diagnosis. Length: 6.30–6.55 mm; width: 4.32–4.50 mm. Form elongate, oblong, moderately convex. Ground colour dull yellow to yellowish brown, with bold, irregular black markings on pronotum and elytra ( Fig. 32a–c ). Ventral side yellowish brown except abdomen with characteristic maculation ( Fig. 32d, g ) and femora of all legs with a median dark patch. Head ( Fig. 32e ) with inner margins of eyes strongly divergent.Antenna ( Fig. 32f ) elongate with a distinct club. Abdominal postcoxal line ( Fig. 32g ) incomplete. Male genitalia ( Fig. 32i–l ) and spermatheca ( Fig. 32h ) as illustrated.

Distribution. India (Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh); Pakistan; Nepal; Bhutan; Southern China.

Introduced in the USA (North Carolina) for balsam woolly aphid ( Adelges piceae (Ratzeburg)) but did not establish.

Prey/associated habitat. Adelges sp. ; Associated with adelgids infesting spruce, hemlock and other coniferous trees (label data).

Seasonal occurrence. A univoltine species, active during May–June, enters hibernation during winter ( Nagarkatti & Ghani 1972). Collected during April–May, August (label data).

Natural enemy. Tetrastichus sp.

Notes. Nagarkatti & Ghani (1972) studied its bionomics (as genus nr. Calvia ). Booth (1997) described and illustrated it and later, Yu (2010) recorded it from China.

Figures

FIGURE 32. Calvia breiti Mader: a–c. adult, dorsal view; d. adult, ventral view; e. head; f. antenna; g. abdomen; h. female genitalia: spermatheca; i–l. male genitalia: i. tegmen, lateral view; j. tegmen, ventral view; k. penis; l. penis apex.