6. Scymnus (Pullus) coccivora Ramakrishna Ayyar, 1925

(FIG. 6)

Brief description: FORM (FIGS 6A, b) SMAll, ElONGAtE OVAl; DORSUM MODERAtElY cONVEX AND DENSElY PUbEScENt. GROUND cOlOUR PAlE GOlDEN YEllOW tO YEllOWISH bROWN, WItH DARk PURPlISH bROWN MAcUlAE ON ElYtRA; ElYtRA tYPIcAllY WItH AN HOURGlASS-SHAPED lONGItUDINAl MARkING IN bASAl HAlF, WHIcH IS SOMEtIMES MEDIAllY SPlIt AND APPEARS AS tWO DIStINct MAcUlAE; tWO SMAll cIRcUlAR DIScAl SPOtS PRESENt IN POStERIOR HAlF; ElYtRAl PAttERN VARIAblE, SOMEtIMES WItH ONlY POStERIOR SPOtS PRESENt OR UNIFORMlY YEllOWISH, cOMPlEtElY DEVOID OF MAcUlAE. ANtENNA (FIG. 6c) cOMPOSED OF 11 ANtENNOMERES. PROStERNAl cARINAE (FIG. 6E) bROADlY DIVERGENt tOWARDS POStERIOR. AbDOMINAl POStcOXAl lINE (FIG. 6D) cOMPlEtE AND SEMIcIRcUlAR, AREA ADjAcENt tO POStcOXAl lINE SMOOtH. MAlE GENItAlIA (FIGS 6F–H) AS IllUStRAtED.

Notes: THIS IS ONE OF tHE MOSt cOMMON SPEcIES OF Scymnus WItH AN AlMOSt PAN-INDIAN DIStRIbUtION AND It IS AbUNDANt IN tHE MUlbERRY EcOSYStEM. It HAS AlSO bEEN INtRODUcED INtO tHE CARIbbEAN ISlANDS (TRINIDAD AND TObAGO, St. KIttS AND NEVIS) tO cONtROl M. hirsutus (CHONG et al. 2015). SANtHAkUMAR et al. (1995) EVAlUAtED It ON MUlbERRY AND REcOMMENDED tHE RElEASE OF 500 ADUltS / AcRE IN tWO SPlItS FOR EFFEctIVE cONtROl OF tHE MEAlYbUG.