Platynaspis trimaculata Weise

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 : 316-317

Platynaspis trimaculata Weise

( Fig. 4d )

Platynaspis trimaculata Weise, 1910: 49 .— Korschefsky 1932: 235; Poorani 2002: 315; Kovář 2007: 596 (as ‘ species incertae sedis ’).

Diagnosis. Length: 3.10 mm. Form ( Fig. 4d ) short oval, dorsum moderately convex and densely pubescent. Head and pronotum yellow, pronotum with a black median macula on posterior margin, scutellar shield dark brown, elytra yellow with two elongate oval discal black spots. Ventral side yellow except prosternum, meso- and metaventrites dark brown, abdomen yellow, abdominal ventrite 1 medially darker, brownish. Prosternal carinae inverted Y like without a stem. Genitalia not studied.

­ Material­examined.­“ INDIA: Kalimpong, 1.V.85,?C31/ On Aphis sp./ C.I.E. A17184/ Platynaspis trimaculata Weise, R.G. Booth det. 1985, det. from orign. descr.” ( BMNH: 1 ex) .

­ Note. A single specimen from Kalimpong (West Bengal) identified based on Weise’s original description by R.G. Booth (BMNH) was examined. It superficially resembles the common variants of two Indian / Asian species of Aspidimerini , Pseudaspidimerus trinotatus ( Thunberg, 1781) and P. mauliki Kapur, 1948 and can be separated from them by the generic characters. Kovář (2007) included it as “ species incertae sedis ” but it appears to be a valid but very rare species endemic to the Eastern Himalayan region.

­ Distribution. India: Sikkim; West Bengal.

­ Prey­/­associated­habitat. ‘On Aphis sp. ’ (label data). Collected in May (label data).

Figures

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