Scymnus (Pullus) coccivora Ramakrishna Ayyar, 1925

Poorani, J. & Lalitha, N., 2018, Illustrated accounts of coccinellid predators of Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Pseudococcidae) on mulberry in India, with description of a new species of Scymnus Kugelann (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from West Bengal, Zootaxa 4382 (1), pp. 93-120 : 98

6. Scymnus (Pullus) coccivora Ramakrishna Ayyar, 1925

( FIG. 6 )

Brief description: FORM ( FIGS 6A, b ) SMAll, ElONGAtE OVAl; DORSUM MODERAtElY cONVEX AND DENSElY PUbEScENt. GROUND cOlOUR PAlE GOlDEN YEllOW tO YEllOWISH bROWN, WItH DARk PURPlISH bROWN MAcUlAE ON ElYtRA; ElYtRA tYPIcAllY WItH AN HOURGlASS-SHAPED lONGItUDINAl MARkING IN bASAl HAlF, WHIcH IS SOMEtIMES MEDIAllY SPlIt AND APPEARS AS tWO DIStINct MAcUlAE; tWO SMAll cIRcUlAR DIScAl SPOtS PRESENt IN POStERIOR HAlF; ElYtRAl PAttERN VARIAblE, SOMEtIMES WItH ONlY POStERIOR SPOtS PRESENt OR UNIFORMlY YEllOWISH, cOMPlEtElY DEVOID OF MAcUlAE. ANtENNA ( FIG. 6c ) cOMPOSED OF 11 ANtENNOMERES. PROStERNAl cARINAE ( FIG. 6E ) bROADlY DIVERGENt tOWARDS POStERIOR. AbDOMINAl POStcOXAl lINE ( FIG. 6D ) cOMPlEtE AND SEMIcIRcUlAR, AREA ADjAcENt tO POStcOXAl lINE SMOOtH. MAlE GENItAlIA ( FIGS 6F–H ) AS IllUStRAtED.

Notes: THIS IS ONE OF tHE MOSt cOMMON SPEcIES OF Scymnus WItH AN AlMOSt PAN-INDIAN DIStRIbUtION AND It IS AbUNDANt IN tHE MUlbERRY EcOSYStEM. It HAS AlSO bEEN INtRODUcED INtO tHE CARIbbEAN ISlANDS ( TRINIDAD AND TObAGO, St. KIttS AND NEVIS) tO cONtROl M. hirsutus (CHONG et al. 2015). SANtHAkUMAR et al. (1995) EVAlUAtED It ON MUlbERRY AND REcOMMENDED tHE RElEASE OF 500 ADUltS / AcRE IN tWO SPlItS FOR EFFEctIVE cONtROl OF tHE MEAlYbUG.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Scymnus (Pullus) coccivora Ramakrishna Ayyar:a, b) adult, dorsal View; c) antenna; d) abdominal postcoxal line; e) prosternal process;f–h) male genitalia:f) tegmen, lateral View; g) tegmen, Ventral View; h) penis.