Halyzia sanscrita Mulsant

(Figs 76, 78c, 81)

Halyzia sanscrita Mulsant, 1853a: 152 (Type locality: N. India).—Crotch 1874: 132; Korschefsky 1932: 571; Poorani 2002a: 342; Ren et al. 2009: 238; Yu 2010: 148.

Diagnosis. Length: 4.90–5.60 mm; width: 3.50–4.20 mm. Form (Figs 78c, 81a–g) elongate oval, dorsum convex and glabrous. Ground colour ochreous to yellowish brown with creamy white maculae on pronotum and elytra as follows: pronotum with five maculae, four on lateral sides and one elongate median one, elytral pattern consisting of narrow stripes and spots, sometimes confluent. Abdominal postcoxal line (Fig. 76c) very short, incomplete, apically recurved. Male genitalia (Figs 76d, e; 81h–j) and spermatheca (Fig. 76f) as illustrated.

Distribution. India: Northern and northwestern regions (Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh); Pakistan; Bhutan; Nepal; Tibet; China; Taiwan.

Prey/associated habitat. Feeds on mildews infecting Dalbergia sissoo, mulberry, pear, berseem, Abutilon indicum, etc.Also recorded as feeding on Cinara tujafilina (del Guercio), Cinara sp., Adelges sp. on silver fir. Beeson (1941), perhaps erroneously, reported it as feeding on the epidermis of leaves of D. sissoo, causing defoliation. Collected on mustard and peas (label data).

Seasonal occurrence. Collected during August–April from different parts of north and northwestern India. Active during May–June in Pakistan (Hayat et al. 2017).

Notes. See Mader (1934), Ren et al. (2009) and Yu (2010) for more illustrations / description.