Phrynocaria unicolor ( Fabricius, 1792 )

Poorani, J., Sankararaman, H. & Anusree, S. S., 2021, A review of Indian species of Phrynocaria Timberlake (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) with notes on synonymy and a new species from South India, hitherto misidentified as Coelophora circumusta (Mulsant), Zootaxa 4926 (1), pp. 117-133 : 128-131

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4926.1.8

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8358B5B1-CE6B-4531-98D5-3E3075869B94

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4532534

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03938789-B261-FF96-2A91-7262FB9779CE

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Phrynocaria unicolor ( Fabricius, 1792 )
status

 

Phrynocaria unicolor ( Fabricius, 1792)

( Figs. 7 View FIGURE 7 , 8b View FIGURE 8 )

Coccinella unicolor Fabricius, 1792: 267 .

Coelophora unicolor: Mulsant 1850: 413 ; 1866: 275.— Crotch 1874: 54.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Lemnia (Microlemnia) unicolor: Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1982: 262 .

Phrynocaria unicolor: Yu 2010: 80–82 .

Coccinella congener Billberg , in Schönherr 1808: 179.—Synonymized by Yu 2010: 80.

Coelophora congener: Crotch 1874: 151 .

Phrynocaria congener: Ren et al. 2009: 226 .

Coelophora caliginosa Mulsant, 1850: 414 .— Crotch 1874: 151.— Weise 1892: 414.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Coelophora dumortieri Mulsant, 1866: 260 .— Crotch 1874: 151.— Weise 1902: 21.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Coelophora dupasquieri Mulsant, 1866: 261 .— Crotch 1874: 151.— Weise 1902: 21.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Coelophora romani Mulsant, 1866: 273 .— Crotch 1874: 160 (as Dysis ).— Weise 1892: 22, 24.— Korschefsky 1932: 297. Coelophora petrequini Mulsant, 1866: 276 .— Crotch 1874: 154.— Weise 1892: 22, 24.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Coelophora versipellis Crotch, 1874: 151 .— Weise 1892: 20.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Dysis saundersii Crotch, 1874: 160 .— Weise 1892: 22.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Phrynocaria nigrilimbata Jing, 1986: 307 .—Synonymized by Yu 2010: 80.

Diagnosis: Length 3.42–4.62 mm, width 3.12–4.20 mm. Form ( Figs. 7 View FIGURE 7 a–e) round, hemispherical. Highly variable with numerous variations in elytral pattern and several intermediate forms. Typical form uniformly reddish brown on both sides; at least eight variants or varieties named, commonly found variants ( Figs. 7 View FIGURE 7 a–e, 8b) as illustrated. Male genitalia ( Figs. 7 View FIGURE 7 i–k) are diagnostic.

Distribution: India: Northern and eastern regions (Assam; Bihar; Delhi; Himachal Pradesh; Pondicherry; Jharkhand; Odisha; Uttar Pradesh; Andamans). China. Thailand.

Biology / hosts: Associated with whiteflies ( Hemiptera : Aleyrodidae ) such as Aleurolobus barodensis (Maskell) on sugarcane ( Kapur 1940); Dialeuropora decempuncta (Quaintance & Baker) infesting mulberry. Abundant in the oak forests of northeastern region, feeds on Tuberculatus indicus Ghosh (Aphididae) on Quercus acutissima ( Shantibala & Singh 1991) . It is known to be predatory on the nymphs and adults of the aphid, Schizoneuraphis himalayensis on Persea bombycina in Assam, northeastern India (Easwarareddy & Rajan 2011).

Taxonomic notes: Phrynocaria unicolor is a highly variable species with many colour forms and Weise (1892) listed the synonyms, varieties, colour morphs and variants of this species and Korschefsky (1932) also followed this in his catalogue. One female of D. saundersii Crotch ( Fig. 8b View FIGURE 8 ) (BMNH, London; examined) identified by R. G. Booth through comparison with Crotch’s lectotype (labelled as Coelophora saundersii ) was found to be conspecific with P. unicolor as stated by Weise (1892), Korschefsky (1932) and Mader (1937). The type locality of D. saundersii is ‘Lokardaga’ (Type label), located in the present-day Jharkhand state in eastern India. In D. saundersii , the head and pronotum are yellow and the elytra are brownish except lateral borders and apices yellow, with four yellow spots arranged in a 2-2 pattern, first pair touching anterior margin, second pair below midline.

Lemnia circumvelata Mulsant, 1850 , a replacement name for Coccinella cincta Hope, 1831 described from Nepal, is most likely a synonym of P. unicolor because it is similar to var. cinctipennis Weise, 1892 of P. unicolor . Booth & Pope (1989) designated a lectotype for C. circumvelata and Hope’s type specimen of C. circumvelata ( Fig. 8a View FIGURE 8 ) (BMNH, examined) looks like a Phrynocaria . It has yellowish head and pronotum with a large black macula on pronotum occupying most of the discal area and yellowish-reddish elytra with black lateral borders about ¼ th as wide as each elytron. Similar variants of P. unicolor from eastern India have been examined ( Fig. 7d View FIGURE 7 ). There is also a rare variant of P. circumusta with black lateral borders of elytra as in C. circumvelata . However, C. circumvelata is not synonymized because the type could not be dissected for confirmation. Common colour variants of P. unicolor were illustrated by Mader (1937), Kapur (1967), Yu (2010) and Ren et al. (2009).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Coccinellidae

Genus

Phrynocaria

Loc

Phrynocaria unicolor ( Fabricius, 1792 )

Poorani, J., Sankararaman, H. & Anusree, S. S. 2021
2021
Loc

Phrynocaria unicolor: Yu 2010: 80–82

Yu, G. 2010: 82
2010
Loc

Phrynocaria congener:

Ren, S. X. & Wang, X. M. & Pang, H. & Peng, Z. Q. & Zeng, T. 2009: 226
2009
Loc

Phrynocaria nigrilimbata

Yu, G. 2010: 80
Jing, X. I. 1986: 307
1986
Loc

Lemnia (Microlemnia) unicolor:

Iablokoff-Khnzorian, S. M. 1982: 262
1982
Loc

Coelophora congener:

Crotch, G. R. 1874: 151
1874
Loc

Coelophora versipellis

Korschefsky, R. 1932: 297
Weise, J. 1892: 20
Crotch, G. R. 1874: 151
1874
Loc

Dysis saundersii Crotch, 1874: 160

Korschefsky, R. 1932: 297
Weise, J. 1892: 22
Crotch, G. R. 1874: 160
1874
Loc

Coelophora dumortieri

Korschefsky, R. 1932: 297
Weise, J. 1902: 21
Crotch, G. R. 1874: 151
Mulsant, E. 1866: 260
1866
Loc

Coelophora dupasquieri

Korschefsky, R. 1932: 297
Weise, J. 1902: 21
Crotch, G. R. 1874: 151
Mulsant, E. 1866: 261
1866
Loc

Coelophora romani

Korschefsky, R. 1932: 297
Korschefsky, R. 1932: 297
Weise, J. 1892: 22
Weise, J. 1892: 22
Crotch, G. R. 1874: 160
Crotch, G. R. 1874: 154
Mulsant, E. 1866: 273
Mulsant, E. 1866: 276
1866
Loc

Coelophora unicolor:

Korschefsky, R. 1932: 297
Crotch, G. R. 1874: 54
Mulsant, E. 1866: 275
Mulsant, E. 1850: 413
1850
Loc

Coelophora caliginosa

Korschefsky, R. 1932: 297
Weise, J. 1892: 414
Crotch, G. R. 1874: 151
Mulsant, E. 1850: 414
1850
Loc

Coccinella congener

Yu, G. 2010: 80
Schonherr, C. J. 1808: 179
1808
Loc

Coccinella unicolor

Fabricius, J. C. 1792: 267
1792
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