Scymnus (Pullus) latifolius Poorani, 2018

Poorani, J. & Lalitha, N., 2018, Illustrated accounts of coccinellid predators of Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Pseudococcidae) on mulberry in India, with description of a new species of Scymnus Kugelann (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from West Bengal, Zootaxa 4382 (1), pp. 93-120 : 98-103

7. Scymnus (Pullus) latifolius Poorani , sp. nov.

( FIGS 7–9 )

Diagnosis: THIS SPEcIES IS EXtERNAllY SIMIlAR tO SEVERAl SPEcIES OF Scymnus AND OtHER RElAtED GENERA FROM EAStERN AND NORtHEAStERN INDIA AND cAN bE RElIAblY IDENtIFIED ONlY bY tHE cOMbINAtION OF GENERIc cHARActERS AND tHE MAlE GENItAlIA. THE MAlE GENItAlIA ( FIGS 7E–G , 8E–F ) ARE UNIQUE IN HAVING tHE PENIS GUIDE OF tEGMEN ( FIGS 7E , 8E ) bROAD AND RObUSt, SHOVEl-SHAPED, APIcAllY WItH A SHORt, AcUtElY POINtED MEDIAN PROjEctION.

Description: LENGtH: 1.24–1.30 MM; WIDtH: 0.92–1.00 MM. FORM ( FIGS 7A, b , 8A ) SHORt OVAl, cONVEX, DORSUM WItH DENSE SIlVERY WHItE PUbEScENcE. HEAD AND PRONOtUM DARk cAStANEOUS, ElYtRA DARk bROWN, APIcAl tHIRD lIGHtER, YEllOWISH tO tEStAcEOUS bROWN. VENtRAl SIDE ( FIG. 7c ) WItH ANtENNA YEllOWISH bROWN, PROStERNUM AND AbDOMEN YEllOWISH bROWN tO cAStANEOUS, lEGS YEllOWISH bROWN EXcEPt cOXAE SlIGHtlY DARkER, MESO- AND MEtAVENtRItE AND FIRSt AbDOMINAl VENtRItE AND MIDDlE OF VENtRItE 2 DARkER bROWN tO blAck. HEAD EVENlY PUNctAtE, EYES WIDElY SEPARAtED, INtEROcUlAR DIStANcE AbOUt 2× AS WIDE AS AN EYE. ANtENNA ( FIG. 8c ) cOMPOSED OF 11 ANtENNOMERES, NEARlY AS lONG AS INtEROcUlAR DIStANcE. PRONOtUM DENSElY PUNctAtE, PUNctURES SEPARAtED bY 1–3 DIAMEtERS. ElYtRA MORE DENSElY PUNctAtE tHAN PRONOtUM, PUNctURES SHAllOW AND SEPARAtED bY 1–2 DIAMEtERS, INtERSPAcES bEtWEEN PUNctURES cORIAcEOUS. PROStERNAl cARINAE ( FIG. 8b ) GRADUAllY DIVERGENt tOWARDS POStERIOR. MEtAVENtRItE WItH DIScRIMEN. AbDOMEN ( FIG. 7D ) WItH APPARENtlY FIVE VISIblE VENtRItES, SIXtH ONlY bARElY VISIblE, AbDOMINAl POStcOXAl lINE ( FIGS 7D , 8D ) cOMPlEtE, SHAllOWlY SEMIcIRcUlAR; AREA ENclOSED bY POStcOXAl lINE WItH SPARSE PUNctURES IN ANtERIOR HAlF, POStERIORlY SMOOtH. VENtRItE 5 POStERIORlY SHAllOWlY EMARGINAtE. MAlE GENItAlIA ( FIGS 7E–G , 8E–F ) WItH PENIS GUIDE OF tEGMEN IN VENtRAl VIEW ( FIGS 7E–F , 8E ) bROAD AND RObUSt, SOMEWHAt U-SHAPED, APIcAllY WItH A SHORt, AcUtElY POINtED MEDIAN PROjEctION; PARAMERES DIStINctlY lONGER tHAN PENIS GUIDE, APIcAllY NARROWED AND DENSElY clOtHED WItH ElONGAtE HAIRS; PENIS ( FIGS 7G , 8F ) WItH A WEll-DEVElOPED cAPSUlE AND A HOOk lIkE APEX.

Female: EXtERNAllY SIMIlAR tO MAlE EXcEPt PRONOtUM DARkER; VENtRItE 5 POStERIORlY SUbtRUNcAtE, VENtRItE 6 GENtlY ARcUAtE. FEMAlE GENItAlIA ( FIG. 7H ) WItH cOXItES ElONGAtE tRIANGUlAR, SPERMAtHEcA WItH A tUbUlAR cORNU, INFUNDIbUlUM AbSENt.

Specimens examined: Holotype, male. “INDIA: WESt BENGAl: CSRTI, BERHAMPORE, 24°05'28.8"N 88°15'56.4"E, lAbORAtORY REARED ON MUlbERRY MEAlYbUG, N. LAlItHA” (NBAIR); Paratypes: FIVE MAlES AND FIVE FEMAlES, WItH tHE SAME DAtA AS HOlOtYPE (NBAIR; NHM); TAMIl NADU: TRIcHY, NRCB FARM, PODAVUR, 4.X.2017, EX. Ferrisia virgata ON Solanum melongena , R. THANIGAIRAj. Other material: SEVERAl SPEcIMENS FROM tHE SAME lAbORAtORY cUltURE, WItH tHE SAME DAtA.

Etymology: THE SPEcIFIc EPItHEt IS AN ADjEctIVE OF LAtIN ORIGIN AND REFERS tO tHE bROAD, SHOVEl-lIkE PENIS GUIDE OF tHE MAlE GENItAlIA.

Distribution: INDIA: TAMIl NADU; WESt BENGAl.

Taxonomic notes: SPEcIMENS OF tHIS SPEcIES IN tHE cOllEctIONS OF tHE ERStWHIlE COMMONWEAltH INStItUtE OF BIOlOGIcAl CONtROl–INDIAN StAtION At BANGAlORE (NOW ICAR–NAtIONAl BUREAU OF AGRIcUltURAl INSEct RESOURcES) WERE MISIDENtIFIED AS Scymnus apiciflavus MUlSANt. THIS SPEcIES HAS A SUPERFIcIAl RESEMblANcE tO S. apiciflavus , bUt cAN bE SEPARAtED bY tHE cOMPlEtE AbDOMINAl POStcOXAl lINES AND tHE MAlE GENItAlIA. Scymnus apiciflavus bElONGS tO tHE SUbGENUS Scymnus ( Scymnus ) KUGElANN AND It HAS bEEN ADEQUAtElY DEScRIbED AND IllUStRAtED bY SEVERAl WORkERS SUcH AS REN et al. (2009). THE cUltURE OF tHIS SPEcIES MAINtAINED At tHE CENtRAl SIlk RESEARcH INStItUtE, BERHAMPORE, WESt BENGAl, WAS MISIDENtIFIED AS ‘ Scymnus pallidicollis (MUlSANt)’ AND ‘ S. saciformis MOtScHUlSkY’ bY VARIOUS WORkERS AND tHE SAME NAMES HAVE bEEN ERRONEOUSlY APPlIED.

Hosts: THIS SPEcIES WAS FOUND tO FEED ON M. hirsutus AND Paracoccus marginatus WIllIAMS & GRANARA DE WIllINk ON MUlbERRY IN FIElD cONDItIONS. BOtH MEAlYbUGS WERE PREFERRED tO OtHER MEAlYbUGS IN lAbORAtORY StUDIES ON HOSt PREFERENcE AS WEll. It SURVIVED ON OtHER MEAlYbUG PREY SUcH AS Phenacoccus solenopsis TINSlEY, P. madeirensis GREEN AND P. parvus MORRISON IN tHE lAbORAtORY, bUt ONlY PARtIAl PREDAtION OR NIbblING OF tHE ADUltS OF Phenacoccus SPP. WAS ObSERVED, RESUltING IN ADUlt MORtAlItY. THE jUVENIlE StAGES OF tHESE MEAlYbUGS WERE, HOWEVER, FUllY cONSUMED bY tHE cOccINEllID. SPEcIMENS OF tHIS SPEcIES cOllEctED FROM TAMIl NADU, SOUtH INDIA, WERE FOUND FEEDING ON Ferrisia virgata COckEREll ON EGGPlANt.

Biology: THE EGGS ( FIG. 9A ) ARE EllIPtIcAl, tRANSlUcENt, PAlE YEllOWISH AND MEASURE 0.04 MM × 0.02 MM. THEY ARE lAID SINGlY AMONG tHE HOSt MEAlYbUG EGGS. THE EGG StAGE lAStS FOR 4–5 DAYS. THE lARVAl StAGE ( FIGS 9b–D ) HAS FOUR INStARS. NEWlY HAtcHED, FIRSt INStAR lARVAE ARE lIGHt YEllOW AND DEVElOP WHItE WAXY StRANDS WItHIN 2–3 HOURS AFtER HAtcHING. THE FIRSt INStAR lARVAE ARE PASSIVE cRAWlERS AND PREFER tO FEED ON tHE MEAlYbUG EGGS. THE SEcOND INStAR lARVAE ARE lIGHt YEllOW tO PINkISH WItH WHItE WAXY StRANDS AND ActIVElY FEED ON tHE EGGS AND cRAWlERS OF tHE MEAlYbUGS. THE tHIRD AND FOURtH INStAR lARVAE ARE FUllY AND DENSElY cOVERED WItH WHItE WAXY FIlAMENtS AND ActIVE PREDAtORS ON All StAGES OF tHE HOSt. THE FOUR lARVAl INStARS lASt FOR 1–2 DAYS, 1.5–2.5 DAYS, 1.5–3 DAYS, AND 2–4 DAYS, RESPEctIVElY. THE PRE-PUPAl StAGE cEASES FEEDING AND IS SlOW MOVING AND lAStS FOR 1–1.5 DAYS. THE PUPA ( FIG. 9E ) IS YEllOW AND cOVERED WItH WHItE WAXY FIlAMENtS AND GRADUAl SHEDDING OF WAXY StRANDS FROM tHE PUPAl cASE IS NOtIcED tOWARDS tHE END OF PUPAl PERIOD. THE PUPAl PERIOD lAStS FOR 6–9 DAYS. FRESHlY EMERGED ADUlt bEEtlES ARE FUllY lIGHt bROWN AND GRADUAllY tURN DARkER ( FIGS 9F, G ). FIRSt MAtING OccURS ON tHE 4th OR 5th DAY AFtER EMERGENcE AND cOPUlAtION lAStS FOR 4.5–6 MINUtES PER MAtING. PRE-OVIPOSItION PERIOD RANGES FROM 10 tO 12 DAYS AND OVIPOSItION PERIOD lAStS FOR 24–36 DAYS. THE ADUlt lONGEVItY IS 90–110 DAYS IN FEMAlES AND 80–103 DAYS IN MAlES. A SINGlE FEMAlE lAYS 26–32 EGGS ON AN AVERAGE DURING ItS lIFEtIME. THE tOtAl lIFE cYclE FROM EGG tO ADUlt IS 23–25 DAYS IN SUMMER AND 25–28 DAYS IN WINtER IN lAbORAtORY cONDItIONS.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Scymnus (Pullus) latifolius sp. n.: a, b) adult, dorsal View; c) adult, Ventral View; d) abdomen, male; e–g) male genitalia:e, f) tegmen, Ventral View; g) penis; h) Female genitalia.

FIGURE 8. Scymnus (Pullus) latifolius sp. n. (from CIBC-IS collections): a) adult, dorsal View; b) prosternal process; c) antenna; d) abdominal postcoxal line; e, f) male genitalia:e) tegmen, Ventral View; f) penis.

FIGURE 9. Life stages of Scymnus (Pullus) latifolius sp. n.: a) egg (magnified); b–d) larVae; e) pupa; f, g) adult.