Synona melanopepla (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 : 265-269

Synona melanopepla (Mulsant)

( Figs 189–191 , 193g–j )

Synia melanopepla Mulsant, 1850: 376 ; 1866: 248 (Type locality: “les Indes orientales”).—Crotch 1874: 178 (as synonym of S. melanaria ).

Synona melanopepla: Poorani et al. 2008: 583 .

Synia melanaria ab. melanopepla: Korschefsky 1932: 276 .

Leis rougeti Mulsant, 1866: 175 (Lectotype, UCCC; Type locality: “les Indes”).—Crotch 1874: 178 (as synonym of S. melanaria ); Gordon 1987: 22 (lectotype designation). Synonymized by Poorani et al. 2008: 583.

Synia melanaria ab. rougeti: Korschefsky 1932: 276 ; Miwa & Yoshida 1935; Bielawski 1957: 88.

Synia rougeti: Weise 1923: 184 ; Miwa 1931: 87.

Lemnia melanoptera Yablokov-Khnzoryan, 1978: 180 (Type locality: “ Tonkin ” (= Vietnam)). Synonymized by Poorani et al. 2008: 584.

Lemnia (Synia) martini Iablokoff-Khnzorian, 1984: 205 (Type locality: “Madras, Vellore”). Synonymized by Poorani et al. 2008: 584.

Diagnosis. Length: 6.90–7.60 mm; width: 5.90–6.40 mm. Form circular to broad oval, dorsum strongly convex and hemispherical, glabrous. Head yellow, or with a pair of black markings on either side of posterior margin of eyes (in examples from northern and eastern India); pronotum yellow orange to red, immaculate ( Figs 189a–c , 191c–f , 193g –j ), or with a median, subtrapezoidal black macula ( Fig. 189d ), scutellar shield yellow, occasionally yellowish testaceous with a darker border or dark brown, elytra black. Ventral side yellow orange except elytral epipleura black, last antennomere darker, brownish. Elytral punctures fine, interspaces between punctures with distinct microsculpture. Male genitalia ( Fig. 190a–f ) and spermatheca ( Fig. 190g, h ) as illustrated.

The nominate form of this species can be readily distinguished by its coloration, particularly the median black macula on pronotum. The form with yellow pronotum is very similar to S. obscura and can be reliably separated only by the male genitalia.

Distribution. India (Arunachal Pradesh (Das et al. 2020b), Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal); Nepal; Bhutan; Sri Lanka; Vietnam; China; The Philippines; Distributed from India east to Taiwan and south to the Philippines ( Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1982).

Prey/associated habitat. Hemiptera : Plataspididae : Very effective predator of Coptosoma ostensum Distant ( Subramanyam 1925; Malhotra & Krishnaswami 1962). Also feeds on aphids. Commonly collected on Butea monosperma ; on Sesbania grandiflora , sandal, lablab, snakegourd, cabbage, pigeonpea, and Trewia sp. Feeds on unnamed psyllids on Ficus sp. , C. ostensum , Megacopta cribraria , and pentatomids (label data).

Immature stages. Afroze & Shujauddin (1998) gave a general description of the immature stages of ‘ S. melanaria’ from northern India, which most probably apply to that of S. melanopepla .

Seasonal occurrence. Collected on Butea monosperma during March–June, September–December (South India). Common on B. monosperma during October–March in Aligarh (north India) (Afroze & Shujauddin 1998).

Natural enemies. Homalotylus flaminius (Dalman) , Nothoserphus mirabilis Brues.

Notes. Papers on the biology of Synona spp. (most of them on ‘ S. melanaria’) may involve more than one species as S. melanopepla and S. obscura Poorani et al. often co-exist in some parts of South India. In the absence of voucher specimens, it is hard to ascertain the identity of the species involved. Works on the bioecology / predatory potential of ‘ Synia melanaria ’ by Subramanyam (1925), Puttarudriah & Channabasavanna (1953), Afroze & Shujauddin (1998) and Rachappa et al. (2002) from India apply to either of these two species.

Figures

FIGURE 189. Synona melanopepla: a. adult, dorsal view; b. adult, lateral view; c. adult, frontal view; d. adult, variant with pronotal macula.

FIGURE 190. Synona melanopepla: a–f. male genitalia: a, d. tegmen, lateral view; b, e. tegmen, ventral view; c, f. penis; g, h. spermatheca, variations.

FIGURE 191. Synona melanopepla (Mulsant) and its prey in their natural habitat: a, b. nymph of plataspid bug; c–f. Synona melanopepla feeding on plataspid nymph (Photo credit: Pavan Ramachandra).

FIGURE 193. a–f. Synona obscura: life stages: a. eggs; b, c. larva; d, e. pupa; f. adult; g–j. Synona melanopepla (Mulsant), live adult.