Novius fumidus (Mulsant)

(Figs 13–17)

Rodolia fumida Mulsant, 1850: 904 .- Korschefsky, 1931: 101.- Kapur, 1949: 534.

Rodolia roseipennis Mulsant, 1850: 904 .- Crotch 1874: 281; Kapur 1949: 534.

Rodolia chermesina Mulsant, 1850: 905 .- Crotch 1874: 281; Kapur 1949: 534.

Epilachna arethusa Mulsant, 1853: 254 .- Crotch 1874: 281; Kapur 1949: 534.

Epilachna testicolor Mulsant, 1853: 255 .- Crotch 1874: 281; Kapur 1949: 534.

Novius fumidus: Pang et al. 2020 .

Diagnosis. Length: 4.08–5.60 mm; width: 3.36–3.66 mm. Form (Figs 13a–d, 15a, b) robust, elongate to somewhat shorter oval, narrowed towards apex in posterior half. Ground colour entirely or partly reddish testaceous or reddish or dull reddish brown or darker brown (Fig. 13a–c), elytra rarely bright reddish (Fig. 15a) or reddish brown with ill-defined darker patches or all sublateral margins distinctly darker brown or fuscous (Figs 13c, 15b–d). Prosternal process (Fig. 14b) anteriorly narrow, gradually widened towards posterior, less conspicuously raised anteriorly. Abdominal postcoxal line (Fig. 14c, d) complete and shallowly semicircular. Abdominal ventrite 6 posteriorly broadly and weakly emarginate in female, narrowly and more deeply emarginate in male (Fig. 14c). Male genitalia (Figs 14g –i, 15e–g), female genitalia (Fig. 14e) and spermatheca (Fig. 14f) as illustrated.

Immature stages. Larva (Fig. 16a–g) robust, ellipsoidal to fusiform in outline, dark reddish brown or grayish brown, occasionally with grayish white pruinosity (Fig. 17a–c). Pupa (Fig. 16h) dark reddish or orange-brown.

Material examined. INDIA: Tamil Nadu: Podavur, NRCB Farm, 2022–23, reared on Icerya purchasi infesting casuarina, banana and guava (NRCB); several specimens received for identification from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, without further data.

Distribution. India: Widely distributed (Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal); Pakistan; Sri Lanka; Nepal; Myanmar; Mauritius; Seychelles; Rodrigues Islands; China (Fujian, Guangdong, Yunnan); Vietnam; Afrotropical Region; Oriental Region (Pang et al. 2020).

Prey/associated habitat. Drosicha mangiferae Green, Drosicha stebbingii (Green), Icerya purchasi, I. pilosa, Icerya spp., Perissopneumon ferox Newstead, Perissopneumon tamarindus (Green), Perissopneumon sp. (Monophlebidae); Aleurodicus dispersus Russell (Aleyrodidae) . Collected on casuarina, sugarcane, mango, citrus, guava, banana, erythrina, tamarind, Emblica officinalis, palmyra palm, and ornamental plants such as Acalypha sp. (label data). Rao & Cherian (1944) studied its biology (as Rodolia roseipennis Muls.) on I. purchasi and observed “it was...neither sufficiently prolific nor even efficient enough as a predator to exert any control on the pest”.

Seasonal occurrence. Collected almost round the year, particularly common during January–July (based on label data).

Natural enemies. Larvae and prepupae are parasitized by Homalotylus flaminius (Dalman), Homalotylus eytelweinii (Ratzeburg) and Oricoruna orientalis (Crawford) ( Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) (Srivastava 1973).

Notes. There is a lot of variation in size and coloration among specimens collected from different parts of India (BMNH material). In general, South Indian specimens are smaller and reddish-testaceous whereas specimens from the northern states are much larger and more robust, often with lateral and sutural area of elytra darkly banded or bordered with only the discal area testaceous, occasionally the entire dorsum or the elytra are mostly dark brown. Specimens collected during summer often appear to have darker elytral margins. Record of Novius limbatus from India in the world checklist by Pang et al. (2020) appears to be a case of misidentification of the darker forms of N. fumidus . Novius limbatus is distinctly more elongate and narrower than N. fumidus and can be separated from N. fumidus by its distinctive appearance. Notes on its biology, hosts and predatory potential were given by Stebbing (1903), Subramaniam (1954 -55), Rawat & Modi (1968), Varma et al. (1976) and Rasheed et al. (1986).