Coelophora Mulsant

POORANI, J., 2023, An illustrated guide to lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of the Indian Subcontinent. Part 1. Tribe Coccinellini, Zootaxa 5332 (1), pp. 1-307 : 94-95

Genus Coelophora Mulsant

Coelophora Mulsant, 1850: 390 .

Type species: Coccinella inaequalis Fabricius, 1775 , by subsequent designation of Crotch 1874: 148.

Cyphocaria Crotch, 1871: 6 . Type species: Caria duvaucelii Mulsant, 1850 , by subsequent designation of Crotch 1874: 148.

Spilocaria Timberlake, 1943: 58 . Type species: Coelophora bissellata Mulsant, 1850 , by original designation.—Synonymized by Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1982: 218.

Lemnia (Microlemnia) Iablokoff-Khnzorian, 1982: 218 , 261; Ślipiński et al. 2020: 35 (Invalid taxon, not accompanied by description).

Diagnosis. Form round to broad oval, dorsum convex and glabrous. Anterior clypeal margin truncate between lateral projections ( Fig. 62a ). Antenna 11-segmented with a three-segmented club, terminal antennomere elongate oval ( Fig. 62b ). Terminal maxillary palpomere securiform. Prothoracic hypomeron with a fovea near anterolateral corners. Prosternal intercoxal process with a pair of carinae, anterior margin of mesoventrite medially deeply emarginate ( Fig. 62d ). Elytra with narrow raised margins, lateral borders moderately explanate. Middle and hind tibiae with a pair of apical spurs. Abdominal postcoxal line ( Fig. 62c ) incomplete, parallel to posterior margin of ventrite 1, without an associated line. Male genitalia with penis ( Fig. 62i ) consisting of a basal sclerite and a hinged, much smaller, apical piece. Spermatheca with nodulus and ramus often not well differentiated ( Fig. 62f ).

Distribution. This genus is widely distributed in the Oriental and Austalasian regions extending from China to Australia and introduced in New Zealand, Hawaii and Florida ( Ślipiński et al. 2020).

Affinities. This genus is closely related to Alloneda , Microcaria and Phrynocaria and shares morphological features like presence of foveae on prothoracic hypomeron, mesoventrite with deeply emarginate anterior margin, etc. It differs from Microcaria in having a penis comprising more than one sclerite. Tomaszewska et al. (2021) included it in the Synonycha- group of genera and commented about its non-monophyletic nature that defied a proper morphological definition. They proposed the reassignment of some species of Coelophora to Phrynocaria and Microcaria . Further studies are needed to define its limits.

Included species. Poorani (2002) included 13 species of Coelophora in the checklist of the Indian region.

Figures

FIGURE 62. Coelophora bissellata Mulsant: a. head; b. antenna; c. abdominal postcoxal line; d. prosternal process and mesoventrite; e. coxite; f. spermatheca; g–i. male genitalia: g. tegmen, ventral view; h. tegmen, lateral view; i. penis.