Cryptogonus quadriguttatus (Weise)

POORANI, J., 2024, An illustrated guide to lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of the Indian Subcontinent. Part 3. Tribe Aspidimerini, Zootaxa 5431 (1), pp. 1-89 : 45-49

Cryptogonus quadriguttatus (Weise)

( Figs 33–35 )

Aspidiphorus quadriguttatus Weise, 1895: 326 .

Cryptogonus quadriguttatus : Weise 1900: 428.— Korschefsky 1931: 174; Kapur 1948: 97; Pang et Mao 1979: 67; Poorani 2002: 346; Kovář 2007: 576; Dorji et al. 2019: 503.

Cryptogonus quadriguttatus var. confluens Kapur, 1948: 99 .— Poorani 2002: 346; Kovář 2007: 576.

Cryptogonus quadriguttatus var. nigriscens Kapur, 1948: 99 .— Poorani 2002: 346; Kovář, 2007: 576.

Diagnosis. Length: 2.70–3.00 mm; width: 2.20–2.40 mm. Form ( Figs 33a–e , 35 ) ellipsoidal oval, convex. Head black in female, sometimes paler at base; yellow in male. Pronotum dark pitchy brown to black, anterolateral corners yellowish; with coarse and dense punctations, separated by one diameter, lateral borders narrowly marginated. Elytra dark brown to black, with four yellow or orange yellow subcircular spots, first pair just below basal margin and second pair just below middle, the spots equidistant, roughly forming four corners of a square; punctures fine, separated by 1–3 diameters. Elytral pattern variable as follows: (a) elytral spots medially confluent (ab. confluens) ( Figs 33c , 34a–c ), elytral borders narrowly to moderately blackish; (b) elytra yellowish except suture black; (c) elytra black with only anterior pair of spots present, dark reddish (ab. binotatus); (d) elytra black with only much reduced posterior pair of spots (ab. nigrescens) or elytra black with dark reddish and barely visible spots ( Fig. 33b ). Ventral side dark brown or black, antennae, legs and labial palpi lighter, dark reddish brown to yellowish brown. Abdominal postcoxal line incomplete ( Figs 33f , 34d ). Male genitalia ( Figs 33i–k , 34e–g ), female genitalia ( Fig. 33g ) and spermatheca ( Fig. 33h ) as illustrated.

Type material examined. “Doherty/ Assam Patkai Mts /Cryptgonus quadriguttatus ab. nov. confluens, A.P. Kapur, 1947” ( BMNH); Type (ab) (red bordered circular label)/61830/Doherty/ Assam Patkai Mts /Fry Coll. 1905- 100/ Cryptogonus quadriguttatus Ws. ab.nov. brunnescens A.P. Kapur, 1947” ( BMNH); “ Assam, Patkai Mts /Doherty/ Cryptogonus quadriguttatus ab. binotatus A. P. Kapur det. 1947” ( BMNH); “Doherty/ Assam Patkai Mts /Cryptgonus quadriguttatus ab. nov. nigrescens, A.P. Kapur, 1947” ( BMNH). Several specimens from Assam and Meghalaya, without label data (received for identification) .

Distribution. India (Arunachal Pradesh; Assam; Manipur; Mizoram; Nagaland; Punjab; Sikkim; Uttarakhand; Uttar Pradesh; West Bengal; Tripura). Bhutan; China.

Distributed from the Kumaon Hills to the Naga Hills and Patkai mountains ( Kapur 1963 a). Kapur (1972) also recorded it from Goa in peninsular India, which appears to be a case of mislabellling and is most likely to be erroneous.

Prey/associated habitat. Hemiptera : Aphididae : Aphis gossypii Glover , Aphis (Toxoptera) citricidus (Kirkaldy) , Hyalopterus pruni (Geoffroy) , Macrosiphum rosae (Linnaeus) , Sitobion rosaeiformis (Das) , Melanaphis sacchari (Zehntner) , Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch) , Aphis (Toxoptera) aurantii Boyer de Fonscolombe , Aphis (Aphis) odinae (van der Goot) . Acari: Oligonychus coffeae (Nietner) and other tea mites. Collected on taro, citrus, banana, turmeric, tea and grasses (label data).

Seasonal occurrence. Active during March–May in northeastern region. Collected during February, July– August, and October–December in northeastern region.

Notes. Kapur (1948) described two aberrant forms, ab. confluens and ab. nigrescens. In the material studied by Kapur at BMNH, two other aberrant forms are labelled as ab. nov. brunnescens and ab. binotatus but not mentioned in his published revision of Aspidimerini . See Kapur (1948) for detailed description and illustrations.

Figures

FIGURE 33. Cryptogonus quadriguttatus (Weise): a–c. variants; d, e. nominate form; f. abdomen; g. female genitalia; h. spermatheca; i–k. male genitalia: i. tegmen, lateral view; j. tegmen, ventral view; k. penis.

FIGURE 34. Cryptogonus quadriguttatus (Weise), variant (ab. confluens Kapur): a, b. dorsal view; c. lateral view; d. abdomen; e–g. male genitalia: e. tegmen, lateral view; f. penis; g. tegmen, ventral view.

FIGURE 35. Cryptogonus quadriguttatus (Weise), live adult (Meghalaya, NE India).