Platynaspis samcha (Bielawski)

Poorani, J., 2023, - A-review-of-Platynaspini- (Coleoptera: - Coccinellidae) - of-the-Indian-subcontinent including-description-of-a-new-genus-from-north-eastern-India-and-Bangladesh, Zootaxa 5256 (4), pp. 301-328 : 310

Platynaspis samcha (Bielawski)

( Fig. 6 )

Phymatosternus samchus Bielawski, 1979: 111 .

Platynaspis samcha: Dorji et al. 2019: 504 .

Diagnosis. Length: 2.80 mm. Body ( Fig. 6 ) short oval, dorsum weakly convex, with dense, erect pubescence, black on black background, light yellowish on paler surfaces. Head dark testaceous, lateral sides paler. Pronotum medially black, lateral one-third yellowish. Elytra black with three yellow spots on each elytron arranged in a 2-1 pattern, anterior pair of spots adjacent to each other, posterior spot closer to the lateral margin than suture. Legs pale yellow. Ventral side dark piceous. Genitalia not studied.

Distribution. India. Bhutan.

Notes. Bielawski (1979) described it under Phymatosternus based on a single female specimen and it is included in Platynaspis following Ślipiński & Tomaszewska (2002) and Dorji et al. (2019). Bielawski (1979) compared it with P. flavoguttata and differentiated it based on the colour pattern. This kind of colour pattern is present in more than one Asian species and a single female with a superficially similar pattern ( Fig. 7 ) was examined from northeastern India but could not be identified conclusively. Another Oriental species, Platynaspis stictica Crotch 1874 ( Fig. 4c ) distributed in Southeast Asia, also appears to have a colour pattern similar to that of P. flavoguttata and P. samcha and their status can be ascertained only after the study of additional material including the types.

Figures

FIGURE­6. Platynaspis samcha (Bielawski), holotype female (Image credit: Matthias Borer, NHMB).

FIGURE­7. Platynaspis sp. nr. samcha (Bielawski) (NE India): n. a–c. adult: a. dorsal view; b. lateral view; c. frontal view; d. abdomen; e. female genitalia; f. spermatheca.

FIGURE­4. a, b. Platynaspis lewisii Crotch; c. Platynaspis stictica Crotch; d. Platynaspis trimaculata Weise (identified material from BMNH).