Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville, 1842

Celli, Nathália Del G. da R., Almeida, Lúcia M., Basílio, Daniel S. & Castro, Camila F., 2021, The way to maturity: taxonomic study on immatures of Southern Brazilian Coccinellini (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) species important in biological control, Zoologia (e 64154) 38, pp. 1-18 : 6-8

Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville, 1842

Figs 8, 27–39

Adult ( Fig. 27). Length 6.17–7.50 mm; width 3.83–4.67 mm. Body elongate-oval, glabrous and slightly convex. Black head with a whitish-yellow transverse spot. Antennae with subrectangular scape, twice the length of the pedicel. Pronotum black, with narrow yellowish-white border around lateral and anterior margins and two oblique yellowish-white oval spots on disc. Elytra orange; each elytron usually with seven black spots, four smaller, in basal third of elytron and three larger, oval, in the apical third. Four smaller: one elongate, near suture at base of elytra; one rounded on humeral callus; and two rounded, parallel in anterior part of elytron, below first two spots. Three larger elongate and transverse, two near suture and one at apex.

Fourth instar larva ( Figs 28, 31–39). Length 6.17–7.83 mm; width 1.67–2.50 mm. Body elongated, cylindrical and tapered, with strumae, dark brown and yellow spots well demarcated in the abdominal segments 1 and 4. Head: dark brown with some lighter areas, triangular with rounded edges and thin light and sparse bristles. Epicranial suture with frontal arms U-shaped ( Fig. 31). Three sub-conical stemmata, light brown, dorsolateral, near the base of the antennae ( Fig. 34). Antennae with 3 antennomeres; antennomere 1 wider and approximately twice as short as antennomere 2; the latter with two apical bristles and a series of papillae; antennomere 3 broad spine shaped with rounded apex ( Fig. 33). Labrum with sparse bristles ( Fig. 31). Well-sclerotized mandible with two apical teeth and mola with an acuminated tooth, with a long bristle above the condyle ( Fig. 32). Maxilla with mala (galea + lacinia) largely trapezoidal, rounded at apex, with numerous long curved bristles, and on the outer margin thin and short bristles. Maxillary palp with two terminal palpomeres with sparse bristles; apex of terminal palpomere with sensillae ( Fig. 35). Labium with distinct ligula, last palpomere with small sparse and stout sensillae at apex ( Fig. 36). Thorax: Pronotum with two sclerotized plates, semi-oval, light brown with two dark brown spots, one on the outer margin and one on the inner margin, separated by a narrow band ( Fig. 28). External margin of the plates with about 24 long-bristle chalazae; central surface of the plates without chalazae; marginal areas with shallow bristle chalazae. Meso and metanotum plates dark brown with black spots ( Fig. 28) with the semi-circular outer margin; lateral margin of the plate with chalazae; dorsal chalazae with short bristles. Laterally mesonotum with parascoli with 1 to 3 branches with long bristles and two with short bristles; metanotum laterally yellow with parascoli of approximately seven long-bristle chalazae. A pair of circular anterolateral spiracles with lamellae at the opening ( Fig. 38). Legs developed, dark brown ( Fig. 28), with sparse yellow-white hair; with row of dorsal and lateral bristles in the tibia; ventrally with a bristle brush, most of them tapered and some spatulate at the apex near the tarsal claw; tarsal claw with a subquadrate basal tooth with a long lateral bristle on the tooth ( Fig. 37). Abdomen: ten segments, S9 facing downwards. S1 to S8 with a pair of anterolateral spiracles similar to those of the mesosternum ( Fig. 39). Dorsally the first segment with a dark brown area in the center and two dorsolateral yellow areas; S2 and S3 dark brown; S4 dark brown in the center and yellow in the dorsolateral areas; S5 dark brown; S6 and S7 dark brown with two small yellow areas on the posterior margin; S8 and S9 dark brown ( Fig. 28). Laterally, S1 and S4 yellow and the others dark brown ( Fig. 28). Prosternum, mesosternum and metasternum with a pair of strumae; S1 to S8 with two pairs of parascoli. Dorsal and dorsolateral parascoli with 2 to 3 long bristle branches ( Figs 8, 28); lateral parascoli with 3 to 6 long bristle branches and approximately ten small chalazae with short bristles on the surface. S9 with approximately 100 long-bristle chalazae; dorsally with two long-bristle chalazae; most chalazae confined to the apical third of the segment.

First instar larva. Length 1.80–2.00 mm; width 0.60– 0.72 mm. Body elongated, cylindrical and tapering, with whitish integument with the head and light brown thoracic plates. Head similar to the fourth instar larva. Prothoracic and abdominal strumae with long chalazae, with color similar to the other instars.

Second instar larva. Length 3.33–3.92 mm; width 0.08– 1.17 mm. Chalazae smaller than those of the first instar. Head structures similar to those of the first instar larva.

Third instar larva. Length 4.75–5.83 mm; width 1.50– 1.67 mm. Strongly similar to fourth instar.

Pupa ( Figs 29–30). Length 4.83–5.33 mm; width 3.17– 3.50 mm. Yellowish color with black spots. Body with oval, convex contour, and truncated anterior region. Pronotum with two small, rounded spots on each side next to mesonotum and an elongated spot covering the lateral border. Sometimes the elongated spot merged with the first rounded one. Mesonotum and metanotum with a rounded spot on each side.Apical half of elytra black and basal half yellowish with variable spots pattern. Abdominal segments: S1 with a rounded spot on each side; S2 to S3 with two merged spots on each side; S4 to S7 with two spots, sometimes merged ( Figs 29–30).