Illustrated accounts of coccinellid predators of Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Pseudococcidae) on mulberry in India, with description of a new species of Scymnus Kugelann (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from West Bengal
Author
Poorani, J.
Author
Lalitha, N.
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-02-20
4382
1
93
120
journal article
30706
10.11646/zootaxa.4382.1.3
4f3ec33b-a217-4df5-9e6b-c084ef1dc089
1175-5326
1181566
7D17C646-49A7-4C3B-BBB7-1E9586FF1C79
5.
Menochilus sexmaculatus
(Fabricius, 1781)
(
FIG. 5
)
Brief description
: FORM (
FIG. 5A
) bROADlY OVAl tO SUbROUNDED, DORSUM MODERAtElY cONVEX, GlAbROUS AND SHINY. GROUND cOlOUR VARIAblE, YEllOW-ORANGE, lIGHt RED, YEllOW OR PINkISH, HEAD WItH A blAck MARkING IN POStERIOR HAlF (
FIG. 5b
); PRONOtUM WItH A T-SHAPED MEDIAN MARkING cONNEctED tO A bROAD blAck bAND AlONG POStERIOR MARGIN; IN NOMINAtE FORM, ElYtRA WItH tWO ZIGZAG lINES AND A POStERIOR blAck SPOt, SUtURAl lINE blAck; ElYtRAl PAttERN VARIAblE WItH tHE MARkINGS cOAlEScING AND FORMING bROADER bANDS OR cOMPlEtElY AbSENt OR FUllY blAck. VENtRAl SIDE UNIFORMlY YEllOW. ANtENNA (
FIG. 5c
) cOMPOSED OF 11 ANtENNOMERES. MAXIllA WItH tERMINAl PAlPOMERE SEcURIFORM (
FIG. 5D
). PROStERNAl cARINAE (
FIG. 5E
) SHORt, SUbPARAllEl. AbDOMINAl POStcOXAl lINE (
FIG. 5F
) INcOMPlEtE WItH AN ASSOcIAtED OblIQUE lINE. MAlE GENItAlIA (
FIGS 5G–I
) AND FEMAlE SPERMAtHEcA (
FIGS 5j, k
)
AS
IllUStRAtED.
Notes
: THIS IS tHE MOSt UbIQUItOUS SPEcIES OF lADY bEEtlE IN tHE ORIENtAl REGION, bUt OFtEN MISIDENtIFIED
AS
It IS HIGHlY POlYMORPHIc. It IS FOUND ON SEVERAl PlANtS, INclUDING MUlbERRY AND IS PRIMARIlY APHIDOPHAGOUS, bUt AlSO FEEDS ON OtHER PREY SUcH
AS
M. hirsutus
WHEN AVAIlAblE (AGARWAlA & GHOSH 1988). THOUGH
Cheilomenes sexmaculata
IS tHE WIDElY USED NAME FOR tHIS SPEcIES,
ŚlIPIŃSkI (2007)
USED tHE NAME
Menochilus sexmaculatus
IN VIEW OF tHE UNRESOlVED GENERIc lIMItS OF tHIS GENUS GROUP, WHIcH IS FOllOWED HERE.