Harmonia expallida (Weise)

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 : 137

Harmonia expallida (Weise)

( Figs 95–97 )

Coccinella (Harmonia) quadripunctata var. expallida Weise, 1907: 15 (Type locality: ‘Kaschmir’).— Korschefsky 1932: 472.

Harmonia 4— punctata var. expalliata: Sicard 1913: 499 .

Harmonia expallida: Kapur 1963b: 199 .

Harmonia breiti Mader, 1931: 476 (Type locality: ‘Kaschmir (Uri) / Manali Kulu’).— Nagarkatti & Ghani 1972: 78; Poorani 2002a: 331.

Harmonia expalliata: Kovář 2007: 615 .

Diagnosis. Length: 6.00– 7.50 mm; width: 3.20–5.00 mm. Form ( Figs 96a–c , 97g ) elongate oval, posteriorly distinctly narrowed and apically pointed, dorsum weakly convex to somewhat flattened, glabrous. Head dull yellow to pale testaceous, with a pair of black spots, sometimes fused to form a basal black band. Scutellar shield yellow to black. Pronotum with a pair of elongate, oblique spots or a pair of broad, posteriorly connected black stripes on either side of median line or plain; elytra dull yellow or with black spots, usually arranged in a 1-3-3-1 pattern, highly variable in their number, size and arrangement ( Fig. 95 ), about 20 different types of elytral patterns recorded. Male genitalia ( Fig. 96e–h ) and spermatheca ( Fig. 96d ) as illustrated.

Immature stages. Immature stages ( Fig. 97 ) as illustrated.

Distribution. India: Northwestern region (Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand); Bhutan; Nepal; Pakistan; Northwestern Himalayas. Widely distributed in fir forests in the Himalayas between 2100 and 2700 m. Introduced in the USA (North Carolina) for balsam woolly aphid ( Adelges piceae (Ratzeburg)) but did not establish.

Prey/associated habitat. The earliest mention of this species was by Stebbing (1903) who recorded it under the name “ Hippodamia constellata Crotch ” as a predator of Adelges (Dreyfusia) abietispiceae and blue pine aphis in the Jaunsar Hills of northwestern Himalayas. During March–April, it attacks fundatrix adults and eggs of adults of Adelges knucheli Schneider-Orelli & Schneider on spruce and silver fir ( Krishnaswamy & Chacko, 1988). It is associated with adelgids on spruce, silver fir, blue pine and other conifers at high altitudes (6000–9000 ft) in north and northwestern India and Himalayas.

Recorded hosts include the following: Adelgidae : Adelges spp. , Dreyfusia (as Adelges ) joshii (Schneider-Orelli & Schneider) , Dreyfusia (as Adelges ) knucheli (Schneider-Orelli & Schneider) , Mindarus japonicus Takahashi , blue pine aphis. Aphididae : Indeterminate aphids on Spiraea sp. (label data).

Seasonal occurrence. March–August.Collected during November,December.Commonly found in northwestern Himalayas at elevations of 7000–9000’ during May–June ( Stebbing 1903).

Natural enemies. Phalacrotophora sp. nr. fasciata (Fallén) and Dinocampus (as Perilitus ) sp. ( Nagarkatti & Ghani 1972).

Notes. Kovář (2007) wrongly used the name Harmonia expalliata Sicard for this species and treated H. expallida as its synonym. Kapur (1963) clarified the nomenclature of this species. Stebbing (1903) described and illustrated this species under the name “ Hippodamia constellata Crotch ” and provided notes on its life history, hosts and distribution. Later, Nagarkatti & Ghani (1972) studied its biology in detail and described and illustrated the immature stages and polymorphic forms of the adult. See Kapur (1963b) for detailed description and genitalia illustrations.

Figures

FIGURE 95. Harmonia expallida (Weise): a–t. adult, polymorphic forms.

FIGURE 96. Harmonia expallida (Weise): a–c. adult, dorsal view; d. spermatheca; e–h. male genitalia: e. tegmen, lateral view; f. tegmen, ventral view; g. penis; h. penis apex.

FIGURE 97. Harmonia expallida (Weise), life stages: a, b. eggs; c–e. larval instars; f. pupa; g. adult, nominate form.