Adalia simmondsi Kapur & Sudha Rao

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 : 29

Adalia simmondsi Kapur & Sudha Rao

( Fig. 14 )

Adalia simmondsi Kapur & Sudha Rao, 1962: 49–51 (Holotype male, ZSIK; Type locality: Kalatop Forest, Chamba, Himachal Pradesh); Poorani 2002a: 320.

Adalia puetzi Iablokoff-Khnzorian, 1986: 80 (Holotype male, Institute de Zoologie , Yerevan; Type locality: NW Murree, Pakistan). New synonym.

Diagnosis. Length: 3.80–4.30 mm; width: 2.60–2.80 mm. Form ( Fig. 14a ) elongate oval, weakly convex. Head yellowish testaceous, with a black marking covering most of middle and lateral sides. Pronotum pale yellowish to ochreous, with at least 5 and a maximum of 11 black maculae of varying size and shape, sometimes fused to form larger markings. Scutellar shield light yellowish brown or with darker borders. Elytra uniformly pale ochreous to yellowish brown, elytral punctation somewhat coarse, clearly dual and dense. Ventral side more or less dark pitchy brown, except outer half of prothoracic hypomeron, elytral epipleura and posterior abdominal ventrites pale ochreous to yellowish brown. Male genitalia ( Fig. 14c–e ) and spermatheca ( Fig. 14b ) as illustrated.

Distribution: India: Northwestern Himalayas (Himachal Pradesh). It appears to be endemic to this region and extremely rare.

Prey/associated habitat. Adelgidae : Adelges spp. on silver fir (label data).

Seasonal occurrence. Collected during July, November, and January, in northwestern India (label data).

Notes. Adalia puetzi Iablokoff-Khnzorian (new synonym) is conspecific with this species and the specimens identified by Dr Roger Booth as A. puetzi in the collections of BMNH (examined) match A. simmondsi and in both, elytral punctation is somewhat coarse, clearly dual and dense and the interspaces are not smooth and shiny as in A. bipunctata and A. tetraspilota . In general, A. simmondsi appears to be smaller in size and museum specimens are dull yellow. Kovář (2007: 605) wrongly listed it as a synonym of A. tetraspilota (Hope) . Kapur & Sudha Rao (1962) described it in detail with illustrations.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Adalia simmondsi Kapur & Sudha Rao: a. adult, dorsal view; b. spermatheca; c–e. male genitalia: c. tegmen, lateral view; d. tegmen, ventral view; e. penis.