An illustrated guide to lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of the Indian Subcontinent. Part 1. Tribe Coccinellini
Author
POORANI, J.
text
Zootaxa
2023
2023-08-18
5332
1
1
307
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5332.1.1
journal article
264199
10.11646/zootaxa.5332.1.1
66e0ec51-d494-43d4-965e-a2cd1462ef54
1175-5326
8261502
424F7439-4095-46A5-93E3-C4130E3B6D9A
Oenopia billieti
(Mulsant)
(
Figs 142
,
143
)
Harmonia billieti
Mulsant, 1853: 16
(
Lectotype
, UCCC; Type locality: “les provinces boréales des Indes Orientales”).
Synharmonia billieti
: Mader 1931: 191
;
Kapur 1963a: 33
.
Coccinella billieti
:
Korschefsky 1932: 447
.
Coccinella
(
Synharmonia
)
billieti
:
Kapur 1958: 327
.
Coccinella
(
Synharmonia
)
billieti
var.
pruthii
Kapur, 1958: 327
.
Coccinella
(
Synharmonia
)
billieti
var.
testacea
Kapur, 1958: 327
.
Oenopia billieti
:
Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1982: 410
;
Poorani 2002a: 336
;
Poorani 2002b: 106
;
Yu 2010: 88–89
.
Protocaria billieti
:
Miyatake 1985: 15
.
Synharmonia flava
Fürsch, 1960: 302
(
Holotype
male, NHMB).—
Kovář 2007: 621
.
Diagnosis.
Length: 3.00–
4.15 mm
; width:
2.10–2.90 mm
. Form elongate oval, weakly convex. Ground colour yellowish testaceous, with black markings on head, pronotum and elytra. Head anteriorly yellow or with a triangular black macula. Pronotum with a large, trapezoidal median black macula. Elytra immaculate yellow (
Fig. 142a
) or with a double anchor-shaped pattern (
Fig. 142b
), sometimes coalesced to form a larger pattern with rows of spots (
Fig. 142c
). Male genitalia (
Fig. 142d–f
) and spermatheca (
Fig.
142g
) as illustrated.
Distribution.
India
(
Assam
,
Himachal Pradesh
, Jammu & Kashmir,
Meghalaya
, Punjab,
Sikkim
,
Uttar Pradesh
,
Uttarakhand
);
Bhutan
;
Nepal
;
Bangladesh
; Tibet;
China
.
Prey/associated habitat.
Aphidoidea:
Adelges
sp.
,
Brachycaudus helichrysi
(Kaltenbach)
, indeterminate aphids infesting
Artemisia
sp.
Delphacidae
:
Nilaparvata lugens
(Stål)
. Commonly associated with adelgids infesting silver fir, spruce, and other conifers in northwestern and northeastern regions.
Seasonal occurrence.
Collected during May, July–September, and November from northern region.
Notes.
As per a handwritten note appended to the specimens at BMNH by R.G. Booth, “
var.
testacea
Kapur 1958
appears to be a distinct species, c.f. genitalia / infundibulum, det. R.G. Booth, 1988”.
Synharmonia flava
F̧rsch, 1960 (
holotype
male, NHB; see
Fig. 143
) is a synonym of
O. billieti
(
Kovář 2007
)
and the image of the
holotype
male (obtained through the courtesy of Dr Matthias
Borer, NHB
) and the genitalia correspond to those of
O. billieti
forms with immaculate elytra (
var.
testacea
Kapur
). The material examined by F̧rsch (1960) came from ‘Karaun Kulu’ and ‘Manali Kulu’ (
Himachal Pradesh
, northwestern
India
). Several specimens of
O. billieti
examined from the same region (NBAIR) also match the description of
S. flava
.
Oenopia billeti
var.
testacea
closely resembles
Eoadalia juliae
(BMNH, examined), but the genitalia of
E. juliae
could not be examined for confirmation.
Oenopia flavidbrunna
Jing
is removed from synonymy with
O. billieti
(
Kovář, 2007: 621
)
(
status revised
) and treated as a valid species because its male genitalia are totally different.
FIGURE 141.
Oenopia adelgivora
Poorani
: a. adult, dorsal view; b. adult, lateral view; c. adult, frontal view; d. spermatheca; e–g. male genitalia: e. tegmen, ventral view; f. tegmen, lateral view; g. penis.
FIGURE 142.
Oenopia billieti
(Mulsant)
: a–c. adult, variants; d–f. male genitalia: d. penis; e. tegmen, ventral view; f. tegmen, lateral view; g. female genitalia: spermatheca.
See
Kapur (1958)
,
Poorani (2002b)
and
Yu (2010)
for descriptive accounts and / or more illustrations.