Illeis indica Timberlake

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 : 169

Illeis indica Timberlake

( Fig. 119 )

Illeis indica Timberlake, 1943: 61 (Holotype male, NHNM; Type locality: Lahore).—Bielawski 1961a: 364; Poorani 2002a: 334; Poorani & Lalitha 2018: 119.

Diagnosis. Length: 4.70–5.00 mm; width: 3.70–4.30 mm. It is similar to its other congeners, particularly I. confusa in coloration, but it can be readily separated by its distinctive, more elongate body ( Fig. 119a–c ) with the elytra conspicuously narrowed in posterior half. The male genitalia ( Fig. 119e–h ), especially penis with a bifid apex ( Fig. 119g, h ), are also diagnostic. Spermatheca ( Fig. 119d ) as illustrated.

Distribution. India: Northern and eastern regions (Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman Islands); Bangladesh; Pakistan; Thailand.

Prey/associated habitat. Feeds on powdery mildews infesting mulberry, Dalbergia sissoo , chillies, rose, and other plants (label data); powdery mildew on Lagerstroemia speciosa .

Seasonal occurrence. Collected during December (Bihar). April–May ( Pakistan) ( Hayat et al. 2017).

Notes. See Timberlake (1943), Bielawski (1961a) and Ghorpade (1976) for more detailed description / illustrations of the genitalia. Rahman et al. (1993) and Bhattacharjee et al. (1994) recorded it as feeding on mulberry powdery mildew caused by Phyllactinia corylea .

Figures

FIGURE 119. Illeis indica Timberlake: a. live adult; b, c. adult, dorsal view; d. spermatheca; e–h. male genitalia: e. tegmen, lateral view; f. tegmen, ventral view; g. penis; h. penis apex.