Menochilus sexmaculatus (Fabricius, 1781)

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

5. Menochilus sexmaculatus (Fabricius, 1781)

( FIG. 5 )

Brief description: FORM ( FIG. 5A ) bROADlY OVAl tO SUbROUNDED, DORSUM MODERAtElY cONVEX, GlAbROUS AND SHINY. GROUND cOlOUR VARIAblE, YEllOW-ORANGE, lIGHt RED, YEllOW OR PINkISH, HEAD WItH A blAck MARkING IN POStERIOR HAlF ( FIG. 5b ); PRONOtUM WItH A T-SHAPED MEDIAN MARkING cONNEctED tO A bROAD blAck bAND AlONG POStERIOR MARGIN; IN NOMINAtE FORM, ElYtRA WItH tWO ZIGZAG lINES AND A POStERIOR blAck SPOt, SUtURAl lINE blAck; ElYtRAl PAttERN VARIAblE WItH tHE MARkINGS cOAlEScING AND FORMING bROADER bANDS OR cOMPlEtElY AbSENt OR FUllY blAck. VENtRAl SIDE UNIFORMlY YEllOW. ANtENNA ( FIG. 5c ) cOMPOSED OF 11 ANtENNOMERES. MAXIllA WItH tERMINAl PAlPOMERE SEcURIFORM ( FIG. 5D ). PROStERNAl cARINAE ( FIG. 5E ) SHORt, SUbPARAllEl. AbDOMINAl POStcOXAl lINE ( FIG. 5F ) INcOMPlEtE WItH AN ASSOcIAtED OblIQUE lINE. MAlE GENItAlIA ( FIGS 5G–I ) AND FEMAlE SPERMAtHEcA ( FIGS 5j, k ) AS IllUStRAtED.

Notes: THIS IS tHE MOSt UbIQUItOUS SPEcIES OF lADY bEEtlE IN tHE ORIENtAl REGION, bUt OFtEN MISIDENtIFIED AS It IS HIGHlY POlYMORPHIc. It IS FOUND ON SEVERAl PlANtS, INclUDING MUlbERRY AND IS PRIMARIlY APHIDOPHAGOUS, bUt AlSO FEEDS ON OtHER PREY SUcH AS M. hirsutus WHEN AVAIlAblE (AGARWAlA & GHOSH 1988). THOUGH Cheilomenes sexmaculata IS tHE WIDElY USED NAME FOR tHIS SPEcIES, ŚlIPIŃSkI (2007) USED tHE NAME Menochilus sexmaculatus IN VIEW OF tHE UNRESOlVED GENERIc lIMItS OF tHIS GENUS GROUP, WHIcH IS FOllOWED HERE.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Menochilus sexmaculatus (F.): a) adult, dorsal View; b) head; c) antenna; d) maxilla; e) prosternal process; f) abdominal postcoxal line; g–i) male genitalia: g) tegmen, lateral View; h) tegmen, Ventral View; i) penis; k, j) female genitalia: spermatheca.