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
Micraspis yasumatsui
Sasaji
(
Figs 136
,
137
)
Micraspis yasumatsui
Sasaji, 1968: 131
(
Holotype
male, Kyushu University; Type locality:
Bangladesh
).—
Poorani 2002a: 335
;
Poorani
et al.
2023: 463
.
Diagnosis.
Length:
6.20 mm
; width:
4.50 mm
. Form (
Fig. 136a
) circular, slightly longer than broad, dorsum moderately convex, glabrous. Head and pronotum yellowish-orange, elytra brighter reddish or orange, pronotum with indistinct pale brown markings, elytra usually lacking the black sutural stripe of other
Micraspis
species
, sometimes with a pale brown sutural stripe (
Fig. 137a
). Male genitalia slightly variable, that of examples from
Uttar Pradesh
(
Fig. 136h–k
),
Nagaland
(
Fig. 137b–e
) and
Tripura
(
Fig.
137g
–i
) illustrated here. Female genitalia (
Fig. 136e
) and spermatheca (
Fig. 136f, g
) as illustrated.
Distribution.
India
: Eastern and northeastern regions (
Assam
,
Meghalaya
,
Nagaland
,
Odisha
,
Tripura
,
Uttar Pradesh
,
West Bengal
);
Bangladesh
.
Prey/associated habitat.
Common on rice and sugarcane in eastern and northeastern
India
. Collected on banana (label data). Feeds on
Aphis gossypii
,
Myzus persicae
and
Bemisia tabaci
infesting chillies (
Gurung
et al.
2019
).
Seasonal occurrence.
Collected during May (
West Bengal
).
Notes.
Sasaji (1968
c) described it from
Bangladesh
and illustrated the male genitalia.
Micraspis shafeei
Afroze & Haider, 1998
is most likely to be a synonym of
M. yasumatsui
as it is described as devoid of pronotal and elytral markings though the illustrations are poor and inconclusive. However, its
type
material is not traceable and is presumed to be lost.
Micraspis yasumatsui
has been widely misidentified and reported in Indian literature also as
Micraspis crocea
(Mulsant)
, a pale species distributed only in the
Philippines
.