Halyzia straminea (Hope)

POORANI, J., 2023, An illustrated guide to lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of the Indian Subcontinent. Part 1. Tribe Coccinellini, Zootaxa 5332 (1), pp. 1-307 : 118-121

Halyzia straminea (Hope)

( Figs 78b , 79h, i , 82 )

Coccinella straminea Hope, 1831: 31 (Lectotype female, BMNH; Type locality: Nepal).

Halyzia straminea: Mulsant, 1850: 165 ; 1866: 125; Korschefsky, 1932: 573; Poorani & Booth 2006: 63 , 64; Poorani 2002a: 342; Ren et al. 2009: 240; Yu 2010: 150.

Diagnosis. Length: 6.84–8.05 mm; width: 5.88–7.20 mm. Form broad oval, dorsum moderately convex, glabrous except for head. Ground colour of head, pronotum and elytra bright creamy yellow to lemon yellow in live specimens ( Fig. 79h, i ). Pronotum with a pair of dull brown to reddish brown, elongate, subtriangular to crescent shaped spots on posterior margin, one on either side of scutellum. Each elytron with four ochreous or reddish-brown spots arranged in a 1-2-1 pattern ( Figs 78b , 79h, i , 82a ) (one below anterior margin of elytra, one lateral and one near elytral suture around middle, and one posterior spot), outermost spot in second row and posterior spot longer than broad, other spots broadly oval to subcircular; elytral suture with a dull brown to reddish brown longitudinal stripe with a scalloped edge. Lateral sides of pronotum and elytra narrowly explanate and transparent. Antenna ( Fig. 82b ) elongate and loosely jointed.Abdominal postcoxal line ( Fig. 82c ) very short and incomplete. Spermatheca ( Fig. 82f ) and male genitalia ( Fig. 82g –j ) as illustrated.

Distribution. India: Northern and northeastern regions (Andaman Islands, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, West Bengal); Nepal; Bhutan; China; Taiwan; Tibet.

Prey/associated habitat. Associated with mildews infecting Juglans regia , Alnus nitida , and Pyrus malus ; adelgids infesting silver fir and other coniferous trees (label data).

Seasonal occurrence. Collected during April–May, July, and November in northwestern region.

Notes. See Mader (1937), Poorani & Booth (2006), Ren et al. (2009) and Yu (2010) for more information / illustrations.

Figures

FIGURE 78. a. Halyzia dejavu Poorani & Booth; b. Halyzia straminea (Hope); c. Halyzia sanscrita Mulsant (type material, BMNH).

FIGURE 79. a–d. Halyzia dejavu Poorani & Booth; e–g. Halyzia nepalensis Canepari; h, i. Halyzia straminea (Hope) (Photo credit: a, h: K.C. Sajan; e: Cheten Dorji; b–d, f, g, i. Geetha Iyer).

FIGURE 82. Halyzia straminea (Hope): a. adult, dorsal view; b. antenna; c. postcoxal plate; d. abdominal ventrites 5 and 6, female; e. abdominal ventrites 5 and 6, male; f. female genitalia: spermatheca; g–j. male genitalia: g. tegmen, ventral view; h. apex of penis guide, dorsal view; i. penis; j. penis apex.