13. Nephus regularis Sicard, 1929

(FIG. 15)

Brief description: LENGtH 1.6–1.8 MM, WIDtH 1.2–1.4 MM. FORM (FIGS 15A, b) SHORt OVAl, DORSUM MODERAtElY cONVEX AND DENSElY PUbEScENt. HEAD AND PRONOtUM YEllOWISH bROWN. ElYtRA lIGHt YEllOWISH bROWN, AREA AlONG bASAl MARGINS AND SUtURE APPEARING DARkER. ANtENNA (FIG. 15c) cOMPOSED OF 10 ANtENNOMERES. MAXIllA (FIG. 15D) WItH tERMINAl PAlPOMERE APIcAllY SlIGHtlY WIDENED AND OblIQUElY tRANSVERSE. PROStERNAl PROcESS (FIG. 15E) bROADER tHAN lONG, WItHOUt cARINAE AND FINElY PUNctAtE. AbDOMINAl POStcOXAl lINE (FIG. 15F) INcOMPlEtE, PARAllEl tO POStERIOR MARGIN OF FIRSt AbDOMINAl SEGMENt FOR UP tO 4/5 OF ItS lENGtH AND tHEN REcURVED, AREA ENclOSED bY POStcOXAl lINE WItH EVENlY DIStRIbUtED PUNctURES, SlIGHtlY SMAllER NEAR lINE. MAlE GENItAlIA (FIGS 15G–I) AS IllUStRAtED.

Notes: THIS IS ONE OF tHE MOSt cOMMON PREDAtORS OF SEVERAl SPEcIES OF MEAlYbUGS IN INDIA. It HAS A SUPERFIcIAl SIMIlARItY tO S. coccivora AND cAN bE IDENtIFIED bY tHE cOMbINAtION OF GENERIc AND GENItAlIA cHARActERS. MAHIMASANtHI et al. (2014) FOUND It tO bE A PREDOMINANt PREDAtOR OF M. hirsutus ON MUlbERRY IN TAMIl NADU AND ADUltS WERE FOUND INSIDE lEAF cURlS FORMED DUE tO ‘TUkRA’ DISEASE cAUSED bY tHE MEAlYbUG.