Phrynocaria unicolor ( Fabricius, 1792 )

Poorani, J., Sankararaman, H. & Anusree, S. S., 2021, A review of Indian species of Phrynocaria Timberlake (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) with notes on synonymy and a new species from South India, hitherto misidentified as Coelophora circumusta (Mulsant), Zootaxa 4926 (1), pp. 117-133 : 128-131

Phrynocaria unicolor ( Fabricius, 1792)

( Figs. 7 , 8b )

Coccinella unicolor Fabricius, 1792: 267 .

Coelophora unicolor: Mulsant 1850: 413 ; 1866: 275.— Crotch 1874: 54.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Lemnia (Microlemnia) unicolor: Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1982: 262 .

Phrynocaria unicolor: Yu 2010: 80–82 .

Coccinella congener Billberg , in Schönherr 1808: 179.—Synonymized by Yu 2010: 80.

Coelophora congener: Crotch 1874: 151 .

Phrynocaria congener: Ren et al. 2009: 226 .

Coelophora caliginosa Mulsant, 1850: 414 .— Crotch 1874: 151.— Weise 1892: 414.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Coelophora dumortieri Mulsant, 1866: 260 .— Crotch 1874: 151.— Weise 1902: 21.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Coelophora dupasquieri Mulsant, 1866: 261 .— Crotch 1874: 151.— Weise 1902: 21.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Coelophora romani Mulsant, 1866: 273 .— Crotch 1874: 160 (as Dysis ).— Weise 1892: 22, 24.— Korschefsky 1932: 297. Coelophora petrequini Mulsant, 1866: 276 .— Crotch 1874: 154.— Weise 1892: 22, 24.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Coelophora versipellis Crotch, 1874: 151 .— Weise 1892: 20.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Dysis saundersii Crotch, 1874: 160 .— Weise 1892: 22.— Korschefsky 1932: 297.

Phrynocaria nigrilimbata Jing, 1986: 307 .—Synonymized by Yu 2010: 80.

Diagnosis: Length 3.42–4.62 mm, width 3.12–4.20 mm. Form ( Figs. 7 a–e) round, hemispherical. Highly variable with numerous variations in elytral pattern and several intermediate forms. Typical form uniformly reddish brown on both sides; at least eight variants or varieties named, commonly found variants ( Figs. 7 a–e, 8b) as illustrated. Male genitalia ( Figs. 7 i–k) are diagnostic.

Distribution: India: Northern and eastern regions (Assam; Bihar; Delhi; Himachal Pradesh; Pondicherry; Jharkhand; Odisha; Uttar Pradesh; Andamans). China. Thailand.

Biology / hosts: Associated with whiteflies ( Hemiptera : Aleyrodidae ) such as Aleurolobus barodensis (Maskell) on sugarcane ( Kapur 1940); Dialeuropora decempuncta (Quaintance & Baker) infesting mulberry. Abundant in the oak forests of northeastern region, feeds on Tuberculatus indicus Ghosh (Aphididae) on Quercus acutissima ( Shantibala & Singh 1991) . It is known to be predatory on the nymphs and adults of the aphid, Schizoneuraphis himalayensis on Persea bombycina in Assam, northeastern India (Easwarareddy & Rajan 2011).

Taxonomic notes: Phrynocaria unicolor is a highly variable species with many colour forms and Weise (1892) listed the synonyms, varieties, colour morphs and variants of this species and Korschefsky (1932) also followed this in his catalogue. One female of D. saundersii Crotch ( Fig. 8b ) (BMNH, London; examined) identified by R. G. Booth through comparison with Crotch’s lectotype (labelled as Coelophora saundersii ) was found to be conspecific with P. unicolor as stated by Weise (1892), Korschefsky (1932) and Mader (1937). The type locality of D. saundersii is ‘Lokardaga’ (Type label), located in the present-day Jharkhand state in eastern India. In D. saundersii , the head and pronotum are yellow and the elytra are brownish except lateral borders and apices yellow, with four yellow spots arranged in a 2-2 pattern, first pair touching anterior margin, second pair below midline.

Lemnia circumvelata Mulsant, 1850 , a replacement name for Coccinella cincta Hope, 1831 described from Nepal, is most likely a synonym of P. unicolor because it is similar to var. cinctipennis Weise, 1892 of P. unicolor . Booth & Pope (1989) designated a lectotype for C. circumvelata and Hope’s type specimen of C. circumvelata ( Fig. 8a ) (BMNH, examined) looks like a Phrynocaria . It has yellowish head and pronotum with a large black macula on pronotum occupying most of the discal area and yellowish-reddish elytra with black lateral borders about ¼ th as wide as each elytron. Similar variants of P. unicolor from eastern India have been examined ( Fig. 7d ). There is also a rare variant of P. circumusta with black lateral borders of elytra as in C. circumvelata . However, C. circumvelata is not synonymized because the type could not be dissected for confirmation. Common colour variants of P. unicolor were illustrated by Mader (1937), Kapur (1967), Yu (2010) and Ren et al. (2009).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Phrynocaria unicolor (F.): a–e. colour variants; f. head; g. antenna; h. abdominal postcoxal line; i–k. male genitalia: i. tegmen, lateral view; j. tegmen, ventral view; k. penis.

FIGURE 8. a. Coelophora circumvelata (Mulsant) (BMNH); b. Dysis saundersii Crotch (BMNH); c. Phrynocaria eberti (Bielawski).