Protoplotina nigrosuturalis Poorani, 2003

Poorani, J., 2003, A new species of the genus Protoplotina Miyatake (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from India, Zootaxa 325 (1), pp. 1-5 : 4

2. Protoplotina nigrosuturalis Poorani , sp. nov. ( Figs. 10–12 )

Description: Length: 2.00 mm; width: 1.32 mm. Form ( Fig. 10 ) elongate oval, moderately convex, head and pronotum pubescent, elytra with inconspicuous, sparse, fine and erect pubescence on lateral margins and disk. Ground colour of dorsal side pale yellowish brown, elytra with a narrow black stripe starting a little before inner corners of basal margin and running along suture for nearly 3/4 th of its length, not extending to apex. Ventral side uniformly yellowish brown. Elytral punctation conspicuously dual with fine and coarse punctures intermixed on disk, apical portion with very conspicuous coarse punctures. Postcoxal line on first visible abdominal sternite ( Fig. 11 ) incomplete, with an associate oblique line, strongly recurved inwards. Female spermatheca ( Fig. 12 ) strongly globular in proximal half, without well­differentiated ramus and nodulus, cornu very short, tubular and curved; infundibulum present.

Specimen examined: Holotype, Female: INDIA: Uttar Pradesh: Lucknow , vii. 2000, ex. aphids feeding on Solanum melongena, A. Pervez ( PDBC).

Distribution: India: Presently known from Uttar Pradesh.

Remarks: The species name alludes to the black sutural stripe on elytra. The coloration and the black sutural stripe readily distinguish P. nigrosuturalis from the type species. The strongly recurved associate line of the postcoxal line and the female spermatheca are also diagnostic. Miyatake (1994) listed the absence of infundibulum as one of the apomorphic characters of Plotinini , but in P. nigrosuturalis , it is clearly present. Males of this genus have not been reported so far. The female spermatheca seems to be a very useful character for species diagnosis in this genus, unlike most Sticholotidinae . Limited information available from label data suggests that the species of this genus are apparently aphidophagous ( Aphididae s.l.), though the members of Sticholotidinae are more commonly associated with scales, mealybugs, and whiteflies.

Figures

FIGURES 1–12. Figs. 1–9. Protoplotina near vietnamica Miyatake: 1. Dorsal habitus, 2. Head, dorsal view, 3. Antenna, 4. Maxilla, 5. Prosternum, 6. Postcoxal line on first abdominal sternite, 7. Elytral punctation, 8. Female genital plate, 9. Female spermatheca. Figs. 10–12. Protoplotina nigrosuturalis sp.nov. 10. Dorsal habitus, 11. Postcoxal line on first abdominal sternite. 12. Female spermatheca.