Cryptogonus ariasi (Mulsant)

POORANI, J., 2024, An illustrated guide to lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of the Indian Subcontinent. Part 3. Tribe Aspidimerini, Zootaxa 5431 (1), pp. 1-89 : 16-22

Cryptogonus ariasi (Mulsant)

( Figs 9–13 )

Aspidimerus ariasi Mulsant, 1853 a: 265 ; 1853b: 137; Crotch 1874: 202; Weise 1900: 427; Korschefsky 1931: 172; Gordon 1987: 25.

Cryptogonus ariasi : Kapur 1948: 102.— Poorani 2002: 344; Kovář 2007: 575.

Cryptogonus nepalensis Bielawski, 1972: 294 .— Pang et Mao, 1979: 69. New synonym.

Cryptogonus nepalensis bhutanensis Bielawski, 1979: 109 . New synonym.

Diagnosis. Length: 3.00– 3.20 mm; width: 2.50–2.70 mm. Form broad oval, dorsum moderately convex and densely pubescent. Ground colour yellow to orange; head yellow, pronotum yellow a black macula on posterior margin above scutellar shield that is often enlarged and occupying most of pronotum except anterolateral corners, lateral and anterior margins narrowly yellowish-reddish, elytra yellow with five black spots arranged in a 3-2 pattern in nominate form, first row of three spots a little above midline and the second row in the apical one-third of elytra ( Figs 9a–c , 10a, c, d ); elytra with a transverse black macula on basal margin and larger black spots, occasionally apical margin and suture of elytra also black in variants (described as C. nepalensis Bielawski and C. nepalensis bhutanensis Bielawski ). Ventral side mostly black, legs apically lighter, epipleura yellowish. Abdominal postcoxal line incomplete ( Fig. 9d , 12a, b ). Male genitalia in nominate form ( Fig. 9e–g ) as illustrated. Female genitalia ( Fig. 12f ) and spermatheca ( Fig. 12g ) as illustrated.

Material examined. INDIA: Sikkim:Singhik, 5000 ft, 26.vii.24/Everest Exp. Brit. Mus. 1924-386/ Cryptogonus ariasi (Muls.) A.P. Kapur det. 1946 ( BMNH: 3); Gangtok, Cryptogonus ariasi (Muls.) , identified by R. G. Booth ( BMNH: 2); Meghalaya: Cherrapunji, 24.xii.1958, 2 ex. ( ZSIK); Shillong, 5.iv.1959, leg. A.P. Kapur, 1 ex. ( ZSIK); Shillong, 16.iii.1960, leg. T.G. Vazirani, 1ex. ( ZSIK).

Distribution. India: Northeastern region (Assam; Himachal Pradesh; Manipur; Meghalaya; Mizoram; Sikkim; Uttarakhand); Nepal; China; Myanmar. Distributed from Kumaon Hills in India to Burma ( Kapur 1963 a).

Prey / Associated habitat. Aphis gossypii on okra ( Singh & Singh 1991).

Notes. Cryptogonus ariasi has a wide distribution as mentioned by Kapur (1963 a) and specimens from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and northeastern India were examined for this study. Cryptogonus nepalensis Bielawski, 1972 and C. nepalensis bhutanensis Bielawski, 1979 are undoubtedly synonymous with C. ariasi and differ from C. ariasi only in the extent of maculation, particularly in having an additional basal macula on elytra and generally larger pronotal and elytral maculae. In the nominate form of C. ariasi , basal margin of elytra is almost immaculate ( Fig. 10a ) to narrowly black ( Fig. 9a ) and the elytral spots are small. Cryptogonus nepalensis Bielawski (1972) was described from a single male and the male genitalia illustrations match those of C. ariasi . In C. nepalensis (see holotype male in Fig. 11a, b ), there is a larger transverse macula on the basal margin of elytra and the elytral spots are much larger but positioned in the same way as in C. ariasi . In C. nepalensis bhutanensis (see holotype male in Fig. 11e, f and also Fig. 13a ) also, the apical margins and suture of elytra are narrowly black in addition to the basal black elytral macula and the elytral spots are noticeably larger. The male genitalia of a small series of specimens with progressively larger maculae as in C. nepalensis / C. nepalensis bhutanensis were also found to be identical with C. ariasi with only the penis capsule showing some degree of variation that can only be intraspecific ( Figs 9e–g , 12c–e , 13c–f ). The male genitalia of C. nepalensis were also compared with the material studied and identified by A. P. Kapur as C. ariasi in his revision of Aspidimerini and confirmed as conspecific (BMNH, examined). Surprisingly, C. ariasi was not even mentioned by Bielawski (1972) in his diagnostic account of C. nepalensis . He compared it with Cryptogonus blandus Mader, 1954 (treated as a synonym of Aspidimerus ruficrus Gorham by Huo et al. 2013). However, in another later publication ( Bielawski, 1979), he noted that C. nepalensis bhutanensis “superficially resembles” C. ariasi . Based on the available evidence, C. nepalensis and C. nepalensis bhutanensis are reduced to junior synonyms of C. ariasi (new synonyms).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Cryptogonus ariasi (Mulsant): a. dorsal view; b. frontal view; c. lateral view; d. abdomen; e–g. male genitalia: e. tegmen, lateral view; f. tegmen, ventral view; g. penis.

FIGURE 10. Cryptogonus ariasi (Mulsant): a. nominate form; b–d. variants (identified by A.P. Kapur, ZSIK).

FIGURE 11. a–d. Cryptogonus nepalensis Bielawski, holotype: a. dorsal view; b. lateral view; c, d. labels (Photo courtesy: Ditta A. Balke, SNSB); e–h. Cryptogonus nepalensis bhutanensis Bielawski, holotype male: e. dorsal view; f. labels; g. abdomen; h. genitalia (Photo courtesy: Matthias Borer, NHMB).

FIGURE 12. Cryptogonus ariasi (Mulsant): a. abdomen, female; b. abdomen, male; c–e. male genitalia: c. tegmen, lateral view; d. tegmen, ventral view; e. penis; f. female genitalia; g. spermatheca.

FIGURE 13. Cryptogonus ariasi (Mulsant) (=C. nepalensis bhutanensis Bielawski): a. dorsal view; b. abdomen; c–f. male genitalia: c. tegmen, lateral view; d. tegmen, ventral view; e. penis; f. penis apex.