Brumoides andamanensis, POORANI, 2023

POORANI, J., 2023, An illustrated guide to the lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of the Indian Subcontinent. Part II. Tribe Chilocorini, Zootaxa 5378 (1), pp. 1-108 : 18-19

Brumoides andamanensis sp. n.

( Fig. 12 )

Brumoides lineatus sensu Kapur, 1967: 174 .— Poorani 2002: 310.

Diagnosis. Brumoides andamanensis sp. n. differs from B. lineatus Weise in having a narrower body outline somewhat narrowed towards both ends ( Fig. 12a–c ), pronotum with a hourglass-shaped to subtrapezoidal median black macula, abdominal postcoxal line complete, semicircular and having distinctly fewer and more widely separated punctures ( Fig. 12d ). It is also distinctly sexually dimorphic with the female having a fully black head and the male having a yellow and black head ( Fig. 12c ). The male genitalia in both species are superficially similar but the penis guide in B. andamanensis is distinctly narrower and less acutely pointed apically and the parameres also are narrower ( Fig. 12e, f ) and the penis capsule and apex ( Fig. 12g, h ) are differently shaped from that of B. lineatus .

Description. Length: 2.20–2.80 mm; width: 1.80–2.00 mm. Male. Form elongate oval, distinctly narrowed towards anterior and posterior ends ( Fig. 12a ), dorsum moderately strongly convex ( Fig. 12b ) and glabrous. Head basally black, anteriorly with a u-shaped or semicircular yellow area ( Fig. 12c ), pronotum with an hourglass shaped / trapezoidal median macula; elytral vittae broad, subequal in width, all three vittae confluent on basal margin but not reaching elytral apices, median vitta apically narrowed, discal vitta more than half as wide as each elytron, widest around humeral area, apically almost touching the sutural vitta. Ventral side much paler yellowish brown than in female in some specimens or fully blackish or dark brown, except antenna yellow, mouthparts slightly darker yellowish brown, prosternum and epipleuron yellowish; fore legs lighter, fore femora apically darker brown, fore tibiae and tarsi yellowish brown, middle and hind legs black with tarsi lighter brown. Pronotum densely punctate, interspaces between punctures shiny and smooth. Punctation on elytra dense and slightly larger than those on pronotum; interspaces between punctures distinctly shiny and smooth. Abdominal postcoxal line ( Fig. 12d ) complete, semicircular, enclosed area with sparse and widely separated punctures. Male genitalia ( Figs. 12e–h ) as illustrated, penis guide elongate, apically asymmetrical in ventral view ( Fig.12f ), penis guide ( Fig. 12g ) with a prominent capsule, apex modified as illustrated ( Fig. 12h ).

Female. Head fully black, pronotum with a median black macula, roughly hour glass shaped, somewhat narrowed towards posterior or much broader and subtrapezoidal; ventral side with antenna, prosternum, epipleuron yellow, metaventrite and legs black, mesoventrite medially paler, legs dark brown to black except coxae basally lighter, apices of tibiae paler yellowish brown; tarsi yellowish brown; abdomen dark brown to black, apical ventrites slightly paler brown. Genitalia ( Fig. 12k, l ) as illustrated, infundibulum ( Fig. 12i, j ) slightly similar to that in B. lineatus but apically narrower and longer.

Material examined. Holotype, male: INDIA: Andaman & Nicobar, South Andaman , 11°36’33”N 92°39’58.6”E, 12 mts, 14.iv.2014, Yeshwanth, H.M., Ex. Coconut ( NBAIR) ; Paratypes: India : North Andaman, Sippighat, 18.iv.2014, Prathapan K D Coll, 2 females ; India : Little Andaman , Hut Bay —VK Pur, N10°43’52.6” E92°34’5.7”, 56m, 29.iv.2014, Prathapan K D Coll, 1 female ; with the same data, one male (fully dissected, in genitalia vial) ; India : Middle Andaman, Rangat, N12°13’19.4” E92°55’05.9”, 17m, 20.iv.2014, Prathapan K D Coll, 1 male ( NBAIR) .

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the name of the type locality (‘Andamans’).

Distribution. India: Apparently endemic to Andamans (South Andaman, North Andaman and Little Andaman).

Biology / hosts / Associated habitat. Collected in association with Aspidiotus destructor Signoret ( Hemiptera : Diaspididae ) infestation on coconut.

Seasonal occurrence. Collected during March–April (label data).

Notes. Weise (1885a) stated that B. lineatus (originally described from ‘Birma’) had a black head and probably Kapur (1967) identified the material from Andamans as B. lineatus based on Weise’s observation. Kapur illustrated its habitus only and did not treat in detail. His collections at Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, were also examined. It is distinctly different from the species treated as B. lineatus by Miyatake (1970a) and Chinese researchers. ( Ren et al. 2009) as described above.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Brumoides andamanensis Poorani, sp. n.: a. adult, dorsal view; b. adult, lateral view; c. adult, frontal view; d. abdominal postcoxal line; e–h. male genitalia: e. tegmen, lateral view; f. tegmen, ventral view; g. penis; h. penis apex; i. female genitalia; j. spermatheca; k, l. infundibulum.