Psyllobora bisoctonotata (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 : 256-258

Psyllobora bisoctonotata (Mulsant)

( Figs 183–185 )

Vibidia bisoctonotata Mulsant, 1850: 204 (Type locality: Arabia).

Thea bisoctonotata: Crotch 1874: 134 ; Korschefsky 1932: 559.

Psyllobora bisoctonotata: Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1982: 301 ; Poorani 2002a: 342.

Diagnosis. Length: 3.20–3.50 mm; width: 2.20–2.50 mm. Form small, elongate oval and narrow, dorsum convex and glabrous. Ground colour pale creamy yellow; pronotum with a pale brown, indistinct, roughly M-shaped marking; elytra with 18 black spots, arranged in a 2-3-3-1 pattern ( Fig. 184a ), spots variable in size; lateral margins of pronotum and elytra transparent. Ventral side pale yellowish brown. Abdominal postcoxal line ( Fig. 184b ) very short and incomplete. Male genitalia ( Fig. 184c–e ) and spermatheca ( Fig. 184f ) as illustrated.

Immature stages. Eggs ( Fig. 185a ) whitish. Larva ( Fig. 185b ) and pupa ( Fig. 185c, d ) dull slaty grey, with yellow, black and white markings on dorsal side.

Distribution. India: Very common in northern India (Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh); Pakistan; Middle East; Egypt; Ethiopia; Uganda; Cape Verde. In India, it seems to have expanded its range to the colder parts of western and peninsular India in recent years and is rare in South India (except parts of Karnataka).

Prey/associated habitat. Feeds on mildews affecting Dalbergia sissoo , Bauhinia purpurea , sunflower, mulberry, Clerodendron sp. , etc. (label data). Mass assemblages on Bauhinia purpurea sighted in winter in northwestern India ( Kapur 1943). Beeson (1941) reported it as feeding on the epidermis of leaves of D. sissoo . In Bangalore, it is commonly collected on Dalbergia sissoo during the winter season (December–February, label data). Omkar & Pervez (1999) erroneously reported it as a predator of aphids and mealybugs in Uttar Pradesh.

Patankar et al. (2009) studied the gut contents and faecal pellets of Psyllobora bisoctonotata and I. cincta and found the spores of powdery mildew fungi ( Phyllactinia dalbergiae and P. corylea ) besides those of other plant pathogenic fungi such as Cladosporium spp. , Alternaria spp. , and Curvularia spp.

Seasonal occurrence. Collected in large numbers on D. sissoo almost throughout the year in and around Bangalore; particularly active in post-rainy season, feeding on mildew covered leaves. More common in summer than in autumn in northern India ( Kapur, 1943).

Natural enemy. Nothoserphus mirabilis Brues ( Hymenoptera : Proctotrupidae ) (unpublished data).

Notes. Kapur (1943) and Kumar et al. (2010) studied its biology and described and illustrated the immature stages.

Figures

FIGURE 183. Psyllobora bisoctonotata (Mulsant): a. adult, dorsal view; b. antenna; c. mandible; d. labium; e. maxilla; f. abdominal postcoxal line; g. spermatheca; h–j. male genitalia: h. tegmen, ventral view; i. tegmen, lateral view; j. penis.

FIGURE 184. Psyllobora bisoctonotata (Mulsant): a. adult, dorsal view; b. abdominal postcoxal line; c–e. male genitalia: c. tegmen, ventral view; d. penis; e. penis apex; f. spermatheca.

FIGURE 185. Psyllobora bisoctonotata (Mulsant), life stages: a. eggs; b. larva; c, d. pupa; e–j. adult.