Genus Cheilomenes Chevrolat

Cheilomenes Chevrolat in Dejean, 1836: 435.

Type species: Coccinella lunata Fabricius 1775, designated by Crotch 1874: 179.

Chilomenes: Crotch 1874: 179 . Unjustified emendation.

Menochilus Timberlake, 1943: 40 . Replacement name for Cheilomenes sensu Mulsant 1850 .

Diagnosis. Form broad oval to slightly elongate. Anterior clypeal margin semicircularly arcuate between lateral projections (Fig. 46a). Antenna (Fig. 46b) 11-segmented, shorter than interocular distance, scape broader than long, with inner side strongly rounded and produced and outwardly carinate. Inner ocular margins straight. Terminal maxillary palpomere securiform (Fig. 46c). Pronotum with anterior margin trapezoidally excavated and slightly convex, anterior angles narrowly rounded; sides gently arched with lateral borders narrowly upturned. Elytra narrowly expanded on the sides, not marginated. Prothoracic hypomeron lacking a fovea, prosternal process with a pair of short, abbreviated carinae reaching up to middle of prosternum (Fig. 46d); anterior margin of mesoventrite weakly emarginate. Elytral epipleura very slightly foveate to receive meso- and metatibial apices. Abdominal postcoxal line incomplete, with a short, oblique lateral line (Fig. 46e). Meso- and metatibial apices with a pair of spurs. Male genitalia (Fig. 46f–j) with penis apex greatly attenuated, long and thread-like. Female genitalia (Fig. 46k) with sperm duct very long and coiled (Fig. 46l, m).

Distribution. This genus is widely distributed in the Oriental, Australasian and Afrotropical regions (Ślipiński et al. 2020).

Affinities. Tomaszewska et al. (2021) included it in the Coccinella- group of genera based on their phylogenetic analyses and recovered it as a distinct clade including Elpis Mulsant and Menochilus Timberlake. The generic limits of Cheilomenes and its related genera, Elpis and Cydonia Mulsant, were discussed by Fürsch (1989) and Ślipiński et al. (2020).

Ślipiński (2007) used the name Menochilus for this genus in his review of Australian genera of Coccinellidae, but Ślipiński et al. (2020) used the name Cheilomenes in their conspectus of Coccinellini of Australo-Pacific region and the same is followed here.

Included species. In South Asia, this genus is represented by Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius), probably the most widespread and well-studied species of the Oriental and Indian region.