Buchananiella crassicornis Carayon, 1958

Ballal, Chandish R., Akbar, Shahid Ali, Yamada, Kazutaka, Wachkoo, Aijaz Ahmad & Varshney, Richa, 2018, Annotated catalogue of the flower bugs from India (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae, Lasiochilidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 58 (1), pp. 207-226 : 212

Buchananiella crassicornis Carayon, 1958

Buchananiella crassicornis Carayon, 1958a: 154 . HOLOTYPE:, Ivory Coast (MNHN).

Distribution in India. Andhra Pradesh: Tirupati (MURALEEDHARAN & ANANTHAKRISHNAN 1974b); Kerala: Devikolam, Kallar, Nilgiris, Palghat, Walayar ( MURALEEDHARAN & ANANTHAKRISHNAN 1974b, 1978a); Tamil Nadu: Madras [= Chennai], Kallar ( MURALEEDHARAN & ANANTHAKRISHNAN 1974b, 1978a).

General distribution. Ivory Coast ( CARAYON 1958a), Japan ( YAMADA & HIROWATARI 2005), Malaysia ( YAMADA & HIROWATARI 2007a), Thailand ( YAMADA & HIROWATARI 2007a), Oman ( CARAPEZZA et al. 2014), United Arab Emirates ( CARAPEZZA et al. 2014).

Biology. The species is widely distributed in south India with records suggesting food preference for thrips Apelaunothrips consimilis (MURALEEDHARAN & ANANTHAKRISHNAN 1978a). This species was also reported to inhabit leaf litter layers in forests, and seems to feed on various small arthropods ( MURALEEDHARAN & ANANTHAKRISHNAN 1974b). In south-eastern Asia, this species was, however, never discovered in leaf litter layers in forests, but was found frequently on dead banana leaves ( YAMADA & HIROWATARI 2007a) and in Karnataka it was collected from dry fruits of Lagestromia flos-reginae. In Oman the species was found preying on mealy bugs infesting mango trees ( CARAPEZZA et al. 2014), in Ivory Coast it was found in nests of weaverbirds ( Passeriformes : Ploceidae ) ( CARAYON 1958a).