Biodiversity Data Journal : Taxonomic paper
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Corresponding author: J. Poorani ([email protected])
Academic editor: Tomáš Lackner
Received: 13 May 2015 | Accepted: 15 Jun 2015 | Published: 22 Jun 2015
© 2015 J. Poorani.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Poorani J (2015) Two new species of Scymnini (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from Karnataka, India. Biodiversity Data Journal 3: e5296. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e5296
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The Scymnini (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of the Indian region is rich and highly speciose, with nearly 90 described species and scores of undescribed species (
Two economically important and unique species of Scymnini (Coccinellidae) belonging to Horniolus Weise (1900) and Scymnus (Pullus) Mulsant (1846) from the Southern Indian state of Karnataka that have remained unnamed for long are treated in this paper. These species are externally similar to other known species and often misidentified. Horniolus sororius sp. n. and Scymnus (Pullus) rajeshwariae sp. n. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are described here and illustrated with notes on their biology and related species.
Coleoptera, Coccinellidae, Horniolus, Scymnus, new species, India
This paper is an effort to give names to two unique species belonging to Horniolus
The specimens examined in this study were collected from the southern Indian state of Karnataka during the course of my studies on Coccinellidae of southern India over several years (1998-2014). A few specimens came from the collections of the erstwhile Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control-Indian Station, Bangalore (now National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bangalore). For preparation of male and female genitalia, whole specimens were immersed in warm soapy water for 10–20 minutes depending on their age. The abdomen was gently detached with a minuten pin and kept overnight in 10% KOH. The genitalia were dissected in distilled water and transferred to glycerol for studies and imaging. After examination, the genitalia were transferred to microvials and pinned beneath the respective specimens. The following measurements were made using the measurement module of a Leica M205A stereo microscope: total length, from apical margin of clypeus to apex of elytra (TL); total width, across both elytra at their widest point (TW=EW); pronotal length, from the middle of anterior margin to the base of pronotum (PL); pronotal width at its widest (PW); elytral length along suture from apex to base including scutellum (EL). Images of immature stages were taken with a Nikon D7000 DSLR camera. Images of whole specimens and their diagnostic characters were taken using a Leica DFC 420 camera attached to a Leica M205A stereo microscope. Composite images were generated from image stacks using Combine ZP and touched up in Adobe Photoshop Elements 11. The specimens studied are deposited in the following collections:
NBAIR – National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bangalore
UASB – University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
Length: 2.50–2.90 mm; Width: 1.70–2.10 mm; TL/TW: 1.33–1.40; PL/PW: 0.52–0.58; EL/EW: 0.97–1.05; EW/PW: 1.34–1.43. Male: Body outline (
Scymnus (Pullus) rajeshwariae sp. n.
Diagnostic characters of Scymnus (Pullus) rajeshwariae sp. n.
Female: Similar to male. Tarsal claws (
Scores of Oriental species of Scymnini are externally similar to S. (P.) rajeshwariae sp. n. in having black elytra with reddish brown / testaceous apices and are difficult to identify without examination of male genitalia. But the habits and male genitalia of this species appear to be unique. The male genitalia are very distinctive with bilobed parameres and the penis guide is apically lanceolate.
This species is named for Ms. S.K. Rajeshwari, Technical Officer, NBAIR, who has been a great help and support in my work on Coccinellidae.
India: Karnataka.
It appears to be a highly specific predator of the bamboo woolly aphid, Pseudoregma bambusicola (Takahashi) and is collected always in association with this species only. The larvae are greyish with white waxy dusting and lack the usual dense waxy filaments in many other Scymnus spp. (
Length: 2.20-2.65 mm; width: 1.65–1.80 mm. Male: Body (
The external appearance of H. sororius sp. n. is very similar to that of Horniolus vietnamicus Miyatake. Horniolus hisamatsui Miyatake also has a similar elytral pattern, but it has reddish brown head and pronotum. But the male genitalia, particularly the enlarged siphonal apex, are diagnostic and unique to this species. Horniolus sororius sp. n. is also similar to two common Indian species, Scymnus (Pullus) latemaculatus Motschulsky (
The specific epithet is a Latin adjective (“sororius” L.= of a sister, sisterly) in reference to its similarity to other common species.
India: Karnataka.
Collected in association with coffee mealybugs and on Eleusine coracana (label data). This species was recorded by
Horniolus is an Oriental genus and only three species, H. dispar