Bulaea lividula bocandei Mulsant

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 : 46

Bulaea lividula bocandei Mulsant

( Fig. 28 )

Bulaea bocandei Mulsant, 1850: 71, 1016 (Lectotype, UCCC; Type locality: Senegal); Gordon, 1987: 12.

Bulaea lividula Mulsant 1850: 1016 (Type locality: Spain).

Bulaea lividula bocandei: Kovář 2007: 600 ; Poorani et al. 2017: 195.

Diagnosis: Length: 4.60–5.40 mm; width: 3.40–4.20 mm. Form ( Fig. 28a ) elongate oval, broadest around shoulders of elytra; dorsum convex and glabrous. Head creamy yellow, posteriorly black. Pronotum creamy yellow with black maculae as follows: two lateral, circular spots, a pair of oblique spots around middle and a smaller, circular median spot above scutellar shield. Scutellar shield anteriorly yellow, borders and apex blackish. Elytra bright yellow with 19 black spots, a common sutural spot on scutellar shield and nine spots on each elytron arranged in a 1-2-3-2-1 pattern, first two rows of spots on anterior half, third row of spots around middle and the last two rows in posterior half, penultimate pair of spots coalesced to form a large transverse macula. Abdominal postcoxal lines ( Fig. 28e ) apically strongly recurved, incomplete. Tarsal claws ( Fig. 28f ) almost simple with a very small median bulge or projection. Male genitalia ( Fig. 28h–j ) and spermatheca ( Fig. 28g ) as illustrated.

Distribution. India (Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand); Pakistan; Africa: Eritrea; Asia: United Arab Emirates, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Jordon, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen; North Africa: Algeria, Egypt and Mauritania (F̧rsch 2005; Kovář 2007; Abdel-Dayem et al. 2017)

Prey / associated habitat. Found in association with a halophytic plant, Suaeda maritima (L.) Dumort. ( Chenopodiaceae ), known to be common in mangroves ( Poorani et al. 2017). All the life stages of the beetle were observed on this plant and gut contents indicated pollen feeding. Abdel-Dayem et al. (2017) recorded it on Ziziphus nummularia (Burm.f) Wight & Arn. (Rhamnaceae) .

Note. It appears to be rarely collected. Poorani et al. (2017) redescribed it with illustrations from South India.

Figures

FIGURE 28. Bulaea lividula bocandei: a. adult, dorsal view; b. antenna; c. mandible; d. maxilla; e. abdominal postcoxal line; f. tarsal claw; g. spermatheca; h–j. male genitalia: h. tegmen, lateral view; i. tegmen, ventral view; j. penis.