Scymnus (Pullus) spicatus Poorani, 2024
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5419.4.3 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E1084FA8-2920-4A64-A9A9-5BECDFE15764 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10798673 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03C0BB05-FFB4-FD01-B3CE-9F75FA8CFBC0 |
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treatment provided by |
Plazi |
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scientific name |
Scymnus (Pullus) spicatus Poorani |
| status |
sp. nov. |
Scymnus (Pullus) spicatus Poorani , sp. n.
( Figs 6 View FIGURE 6 , 7 View FIGURE 7 )
Diagnosis. This species has a yellowish-testaceous ground colour with the elytra usually having a darker brownish or infuscate discal patch similar to S. victoris Motschulsky ( Figs 6a, b View FIGURE 6 ; 7g, h View FIGURE 7 ); the discal brown area is paler or smaller ( Fig. 6b View FIGURE 6 ) or obsolete in some specimens, externally resembling the immaculate form of S. coccivora Ayyar and S. dyadechkoi Ukrainsky, 2010 (= Scymnus utilis Hoàng, 1982 ). Males of this species can be easily separated from other congeners by the presence of a short, dark brown, triangular, tooth-like projection in the middle of the apical margin of abdominal ventrite 5 ( Fig. 6d, f View FIGURE 6 ). The male genitalia ( Fig. 6g –j View FIGURE 6 ) are also diagnostic.
Description. TL: 1.03–1.24 mm; TW: 0.77–0.90 mm; TL/TW: 1.26–1.41; EL/EW: 0.99–1.13; PL/PW: 0.36– 0.50. Male. Form broad oval, dorsum convex, with dense, silvery white pubescence, lateral sides of elytra with few erect marginal setae. Dorsum yellowish to reddish testaceous, elytra medially with a pale infuscate area or a clearly distinct dark brown patch covering most of elytra except lateral and apical margins; ventral side yellowish-testaceous except meso- and metaventrites and middle of abdominal ventrite 1 darker, brownish; legs paler yellowish. Head ( Fig. 6c View FIGURE 6 ) 3.17–3.23x as wide as an eye, interocular distance 1.50–1.70x eye width; with shallowly impressed punctures. Elytral punctation dense, punctures more or less similar to those on pronotum, very shallowly impressed, separated by 1-4 diameters. Prosternal intercoxal process with a pair of carinae progressively divergent towards apex. Abdomen with six ventrites, posterior margin of ventrite 5 with a short, dark brown, triangular median tooth ( Fig. 6d View FIGURE 6 ), ventrite 6 only narrowly visible and very shallowly emarginate. Tarsal claws trifid ( Fig. 6o View FIGURE 6 ). Male genitalia ( Fig. 6g –j View FIGURE 6 ) with penis guide of tegmen broadly lanceolate in ventral view ( Fig. 6h View FIGURE 6 ), medially broadest and apically triangular with a very short, tubular apex; with a characteristic basal keel in lateral view ( Fig. 6g View FIGURE 6 ); penis ( Fig. 6i, k, l View FIGURE 6 ) with a prominent capsule ( Fig. 6j View FIGURE 6 ), penis apex with a membranous flap ( Fig. 6m View FIGURE 6 ) as illustrated.
Female. Externally similar to male except abdominal ventrite 5 posteriorly without a median tooth, ventrite 6 only slightly visible, apically arcuate. Female genitalia ( Fig. 6n View FIGURE 6 ) and spermatheca as illustrated.
Etymology. The specific epithet is a Latin adjective in reference to the acutely pointed median tooth on the posterior margin of abdominal ventrite 5 in male.
Material examined. Holotype male, “ India: Tamil Nadu: Podavur , NRCB research farm, N°1047’20.16” E078°34’29.88”, Ex. Jack Beardsley mealybug on banana, R. Thanigairaj ” ; Paratypes: with same data as holotype, except dates of collection 24.iv.19, 29.i.21, 28.vii.21, 11.viii.21 ( ICAR-NBAIR) .
Immature stages. Larva ( Fig. 7a–d View FIGURE 7 ) and pupa ( Fig. 7e, f View FIGURE 7 ) yellowish orange, with dense waxy filamentation on the dorsal and lateral sides as in other Scymnini .
Hosts / associated host plants. Scymnus (Pullus) spicatus sp. n. was collected as a predator of Jack Beardsley mealybug and F. virgata infesting banana in and around Trichy, Tamil Nadu. It was also found feeding on F. virgata infesting eggplant ( Solanum melongena L.) in and around the banana orchards at the NRCB research farm.
Distribution. India: Tamil Nadu.
Notes. Indigenous natural enemies such as Mallada desjardinsi (Navás) (= M. boninensis (Okamoto)) ( Neuroptera : Chrysopidae ), Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant ( Coleoptera : Coccinellidae ), Spalgis epeus (Westwood) ( Lepidoptera : Lycaenidae ) and some species of gnats ( Diptera : Cecidomyiidae ) have been recorded earlier as predators of P. jackbeardsleyi in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, South India ( Shylesha 2013; Mani et al. 2013).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.