Record of the blister beetle, Croscherichia goryi (Marseul, 1870) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) from Rajasthan, India Author Meena, A. K. College of Agriculture, Baytu - 344034, Rajasthan, India E-mail: akmeenaentomology @ gmail. com Author Nagar, Rajendra KVK, Jhunjhunu - 333001, Rajasthan, India Author Chhangani, Gaurang College of Agriculture, Jodhpur - 342304, Rajasthan, India Author Swaminathan, R. ICAR Emeritus Scientist Scheme, Department of Entomology, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, MPUAT, Udaipur - 313001, Rajasthan, India text Records of the Zoological Survey of India 2023 123 1 45 50 journal article 293569 10.26515/rzsi/v123/i1/2023/165576 a4f07962-c18e-461a-87ef-ff35ed24aecc 2581-8686 10913939 Croscherichia goryi (Marseul, 1870) Mylabris goryi Marseul, 1870: 88 (Perse: Arabie, Djedda); 1872: 509, tav. 2, Figure 50, Baudi, 1878: 362; Soumacov, 1915: 59. Zonabris goryi , Escherich, 1899: 89 . Croscherichia goryi, Kaszab, 1968: 756 ; 1983: 148, tav. 1, Figure 4. Mylabris longicollis Marseul i.l. ( MP ). Mylabris aegyptiaca Blanchard i.l. ( MP ). Material examined ( 26 Specimens , 9 ♂ and 17 ♀ ): India : Rajasthan , Churu; 01.iv.2019 , Coll. R . Nagar ( KVK , Chandgothi) (18) ; 02.iv.2019 , Coll. R . Nagar ( KVK , Chandgothi) ; 03.iv.2019 , Coll. R . Nagar ( KVK , Chandgothi) ; 23.v.2019 ,Coll. R .Nagar( KVK ,Chandgothi) ; 24.v.2019 , Coll. R . Nagar ( KVK , Chandgothi) ; 25.v.2019 , Coll. R . Nagar ( KVK , Chandgothi) ; 27.v.2019 , Coll. R . Nagar ( KVK , Chandgothi) (1); 28 o 23’ N Latitude; 75 o 31’ E Longitude . Distribution: Distributed in North-western India , Egypt , Syria , Israel , Palestine , Iraq , Iran , Saudi Arabia , Eastern Sudan , Oman , Pakistan and Northeastern Afghanistan ( Bologna and Coco, 1991 ). Description (Male and Female): Body elongate, black, including antennae, head and pronotum, excluding elytra. Head not so elongate with black hairs, head with a pair of reddish spots on frons. Maxillary palpi four segmented, segment 1 st short, three segments easily visible, maxillary palpi 2 nd and 3 rd segments hairier and 4 th one with small bristles on the whole surface. Mandibles are much longer than the upper lip, with a strong and blunt apex; labrum not longitudinally furrowed or carinate. Male antennae, fore tibiae and maxillae never similarly modified. Mesosternum without a ‘scutum’ ( Plate I : 2). Anterior mesosternal suture obsolescent. Antennal sockets closer to eyes, placed above frontal suture. Antennae-11-segmented, with segments either slightly or distinctly widened to apex; 3 rd antennal segment subequal in length to 1 st segment, and hairs present upto 1 st to 3 rd segments of antennae. Antennae progressively widened from segment six to apex as depicted in Plate I : 3 and Figure 1 : 3. Antennae extended a little to the half of pronotum, but in female longer, the expanded part reaching the base of the pronotum. Pronotum narrow, strongly strangled, depressed anteriorly, pronotum longer than wide, dorsally pronotum appears as shown in Plate I : 6 and Figure 1 :5. Scutellum is wide with shallow punctuation. Elytra yellow to orange-red, black, hairy with black transverse fasciae rarely unicolorous. Elytra convex with apical margin rounded, Elytra ochre with elytral stains often reduced ( Figure 1 : 1). Punctations on the elytra of average depth and out distanced. Last visible sternite of abdomen is sinuate in the middle with long hairs present at the boundary as depicted in Plate I : 7 and Figure 1 :6. All legs hairy with two tibial spurs, fore femora without a ventroapical excavation and lacking a patch of transversely directed pubescence. Hind tibial spurs dissimilar, outer spur spatulate, about twice the width of sticklike inner spur ( Plate I : 4), dorsal blade of tarsal claws smooth. Upper lobe of the claws straight, curved at the apex, slender and the lower one not easily visible, thread like. Inferior lobe of the claws of dimensions reduced in comparison to that superior, inferior lobe of the claws along around 2/3 of that superior ( Plate I : 5 and Figure 1 : 4). Male genitalia as in Plate I : 8-10 and Figure 1 : 7-9; tegmen dorsal ( Plate I : 8a), ventral ( Plate I : 8b and Figure 1 :7a) and male tegmen slender in lateral view ( Plate I : 8c and Figure 1 :7b), aedeagus, lateral view ( Plate I : 9 and Figure 1 : 8) with a two dorsal hooks of the same length and inclination; one endophallic hook present at almost apex and is clearly longer and more curved than the dorsal one. The apodeme of the spiculum gastrale slender as in Plate I : 10 and Figure 1 : 9. Plate I. Croscherichia goryi (Marseul, 1870) male 1-10: 1. Habitus, 2. Mesosternum without a 'Scutum', 3. Antennae (3rd antennal segment subequal in length to 1st segment, Antennae progressively widened from segments VI to apex), 4. Hind tibial spurs dissimilar, 5. Claws, 6. Pronotum, 7. Last abdominal sternite, 8. Male genitalia (Tegmen a. Dorsal, b. Ventral and c. Lateral view), 9. Aedeagus, lateral view, 10. Spiculum gastrale. Figure 1. Croscherichia goryi (Marseul, 1870) male 1-8: 1. Elytral pattern, 2. Mesosternum, 3. Antennae, 4. Claws, 5. Pronotum, 6. Last abdominal sternite, 7. Male genitalia (Tegmen a. ventral and b. lateral view), 8. Aedeagus, lateral view, 9. Spiculum gastrale. Sacle bar 1 mm. Table 1. Occurrence of blister beetle, Croscherichia goryi (Marseul, 1870) on watermelon during April – May, 2019
Dates of observation Mean beetles/ plant
22/04/2019 1.5
23/04/19 2.5
24/04/19 3.0
25/04/19 5.5
26/04/19 5.5
27/04/19 5.5
28/04/19 6.5
29/04/19 8.5
30/04/19 9.5
01/05/19 10.0
02/05/19 6.0
03/05/19 4.0
04/05/19 3.0
05/05/19 2.5
06/05/19 1.5
Overall mean 5.0
Standard Deviation ± 2.77
Note: Mean of 10 plants observed in the area during flowering period Measurement (mm): Adult body length 14 to 17 mm ♂ (some specimens have a length of only 7, 8 and 10 mm ); 14 to18 mm ♀ ; elytra length 10 to 13 mm and width 7 to 8 mm; pronotum length 3 to 4 mm and width 2.5 to 3 mm . Occurrence: The beetles were observed on 10 plants at random, and their mean numbers per plant ranged from 1.5 to 10.0 ( Table 1 ) with the maximum of 10 + 2.77 beetles per plant coincidentally on May day, the 1 st of May, 2019 and an overall mean value of 5.0 + 2.77.