Palaeoneda auriculata (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 : 227

Palaeoneda auriculata (Mulsant)

( Fig. 162 )

Coccinella miniata Hope, 1831: 30 (preoccupied) (Lectotype female, BMNH; Type locality: Nepal).—Crotch 1871: 5; 1874: 32; Booth & Pope 1989: 359.

Neda miniata: Mulsant 1850: 276 ; 1866: 196.

Palaeoneda miniata: Crotch 1874: 178 ; Korschefsky 1932: 279; Ren et al. 2009: 224; Yu 2010: 135–136.

Neda auriculata Mulsant, 1866: 195 (Lectotype, UCCC; Type locality: “les Indes-Orientales”).

Palaeoneda auriculata: Crotch 1871: 5 ; 1874: 32; Booth & Pope 1989: 359; Poorani 2002a: 338.

Palaeoneda miniata ab. auriculata: Crotch 1874: 178 ; Korschefsky 1932: 279.

Diagnosis. Length: 11.90–13.50 mm; width: 10.50–12.50 mm. Form large, subrounded, dorsum strongly convex and glarous. Head black. Pronotum with a large, median subtrapezoidal, medially slightly narrowed black marking narrowly extending to the posterolateral corners, sides and anterior margin yellowish. Elytra yellowish brown or ochreous or orange or reddish testaceous with a narrow black sutural stripe, basal margin narrowly black.Abdominal postcoxal line ( Fig. 162c ) incomplete, with an oblique lateral line. Male genitalia ( Fig. 162e–g ) and spermatheca ( Fig. 162d ) as illustrated.

Distribution. India (Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal); Nepal; Bhutan; Pakistan.

Prey/associated habitat. Hemiptera : Adelgidae : Adelges sp. on silver fir; associated with adelgids on spruce, Quercus incana , Q. dilatata , and Salix sp. (label data). Collected on walnut and berseem in Pakistan ( Hayat et al. 2017).

Seasonal occurrence. Collected during April–June, November (label data). May–June ( Hayat et al. 2017).

Notes. Palaeoneda auriculata is a distinctive genus and species of large size, but not commonly collected. Treated by Mader (1934), Ren et al. (2009) and Yu (2010).

Figures

FIGURE 162. Palaeoneda auriculata (Mulsant): a, b. adult, dorsal view; c. abdominal postcoxal line; d. spermatheca; e–g. male genitalia: e. tegmen, lateral view; f. tegmen, ventral view; g. penis.