Nephus bipunctatus (Kugelann, 1794)

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 : 107

12. Nephus bipunctatus -group

( FIG. 14 )

Brief description: LENGtH 1.90–2.20 MM, WIDtH 1.30–1.50 MM. FORM ( FIG. 14A ) ElONGAtE OVAl, DORSUM MODERAtElY cONVEX AND DENSElY PUbEScENt. HEAD AND PRONOtUM DARk bROWN tO PIcEOUS. ElYtRA DARk bROWN tO PIcEOUS WItH tWO cIRcUlAR, ORANGE-REDDISH SPOtS IN tHE POStERIOR HAlF. ANtENNA cOMPOSED OF 10 ANtENNOMERES. AbDOMINAl POStcOXAl lINE ( FIG. 14b ) INcOMPlEtE. MAlE GENItAlIA ( FIGS 14c–E ) AND FEMAlE SPERMAtHEcA ( FIG. 14F ) AS IllUStRAtED.

Notes: THIS SPEcIES bElONGS tO tHE Nephus bipunctatus- GROUP AS DEFINED bY FüRScH (1965) AND IS WIDElY DIStRIbUtED IN INDIA. THERE IS cONSIDERAblE VARIAtION IN tHIS SPEcIES AND It IS NOt POSSIblE tO IDENtIFY It cONclUSIVElY At PRESENt AS INDIAN SPEcIES OF Nephus ARE bADlY IN NEED OF REVISION. THE MAlE GENItAlIA OF tHIS SPEcIES ARE NEARlY IDENtIcAl tO tHE IllUStRAtIONS GIVEN bY REN et al. (2009) FOR Nephus quadrimaculatus (HERbSt), WHIcH IS MOSt lIkElY tO bE A MISIDENtIFIcAtION. It FEEDS ON A VARIEtY OF MEAlYbUGS INclUDING M. hirsutus IN SOUtH INDIA (lAbEl DAtA) AND tHE SPEcIMENS StUDIED FROM WESt BENGAl WERE cOllEctED ON MUlbERRY MEAlYbUG.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Nephus bipunctatus-group: a) adult, dorsal View; b) abdominal postcoxal line; c–e) male genitalia: c) tegmen, lateral View; d) tegmen, Ventral View;e)penis; f) female genitalia:spermatheca.