Priscibrumus uropygialis (Mulsant), 1853

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 : 88-92

Priscibrumus uropygialis (Mulsant)

( Figs 66–68 )

Exochomus uropygialis Mulsant, 1853a: 196 ; 1853b: 68.

Exochomus uropygialis : Korschefsky 1932: 261.

Brumus uropygialis : Crotch 1874: 196.

Exochomus (Exochomus) uropygialis : Chapin 1965: 248.

Priscibrumus uropygialis : Kovář 1997: 117.— Poorani 2002: 314; Kovář 2007: 595; Li et al. 2020a: 7 .

Diagnosis. Length: 3.80–4.30 mm; width: 2.82–3.00 mm. Very similar to E. lituratus in general appearance and coloration ( Figs 66a–c , 67a ) except body outline, particularly elytra a little less elongate with more rounded lateral sides. Head, pronotum, and scutellar shield black. Elytra yellowish testaceous to reddish brown, with a small, black apical patch. Ventral side black, except elytral epipleura yellowish brown. Abdominal postcoxal lines apically incomplete ( Fig. 66d, e ). Female genitalia ( Fig. 66f ) with elongate triangular coxites, infundibulum present; spermatheca ( Fig. 66f, g ) as illustrated. Male genitalia ( Fig. 67d–j ) as illustrated.

Life stages. Life stages ( Fig. 68 ) as illustrated.

Distribution. India (Arunachal Pradesh ( Das et al. 2020); Himachal Pradesh; Jammu & Kashmir; Sikkim; Uttar Pradesh; West Bengal). Pakistan. Nepal. Bhutan. Sympatric with P. lituratus , widely distributed in coniferous forests between 1800m and 2750 m in north-western India and Pakistan.

Prey/associated habitat. Hemiptera : Aphidoidea: Adelges spp. , Adelges joshii (Schneider-Orelli & Schneider) , Aphis gossypii Glover , Aphis sp. ( cf. Gossypii Glover ), Brachycaudus helichrysi (Kaltenbach) , Brachycaudus sp. , Ceruraphis sp. , Cinara sp. , Dreyfusia (as Adelges ) knucheli (Schneider-Orelli & Schneider) , Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann) , Mindarus japonicus Takahashi , Myzus ornatus Laing , Myzus persicae (Sulzer) , Myzus sp. , Pemphigus sp. , Pineus sp. Diaspididae : Comstockaspis perniciosa (Comstock) , Salicicola sp. Psyllidae : indeterminate psyllids. Commonly associated with adelgids infesting silver fir and other coniferous trees in the north-western region. Collected on apple, pear, and potato.

Though it is mainly associated with adelgids, Ali (2103) recorded it as a predator of various diaspine scales including Parlatoria spp. , Pinnaspis strachani (Cooley) , Comstockaspis perniciosa (Comstock) , and Tecaspis spp. on wild trees and shrubs in Pakistan.

Seasonal occurrence. Active during March–June. Collected during July–August and November. During July–August, adults feed on adult gallicolae of Adelges knucheli Schneider-Orelli & Schneider on spruce and also on gallicolae that migrated to silver fir, but they do not breed on these hosts and do not appear regularly ( Krishnaswamy & Chacko, 1988).

Natural enemy. Dinocampus coccinellae (Schrank) ( Nagarkatti & Ghani, 1972) .

Notes. The following works may be consulted for more details on its taxonomy and biology: Smith 1965 (Cytological separation of species); Nagarkatti & Ghani 1972 (detailed description of immature stages, larval chaetotaxy and biology on adelgids); Miyatake 1985 (habitus, male genitalia illustrations).

Figures

FIGURE 66. Priscibrumus uropygialis (Mulsant): a. adult, dorsal view; b. adult, lateral view; c. head and pronotum; d. abdomen; e. abdominal postcoxal line; f. female genitalia; g. spermatheca.

FIGURE 67. Priscibrumus uropygialis (Mulsant): a. adult; b. tibial spurs; c. tarsal claws; d–g, h–j. male genitalia: d, h. tegmen, ventral view; e, i. tegmen, lateral view; f, j. penis; g. penis apex.

FIGURE 68. Priscibrumus uropygialis (Mulsant), life stages: a, b. eggs; c–e. early stage larvae; f. full grown larva; g. pupa; h. adult.