Scientific name - Synonyms - Diagnosis - Images - Distribution - Prey / Associated habitat - Seasonal occurrence - Natural enemy - References

Scientific name

Coelophora bissellata Mulsant

Synonyms

Spilocaria bissellata (Mulsant), Lemnia bissellata (Mulsant)

Diagnosis

Length 4.56-4.98 mm, width 3.95-4.25 mm. Form round, strongly convex. Head and pronotum creamy yellow or pale pink with black markings. Ground colour of elytra carmine red to orange yellow on disk and margins yellowish brown. Pronotum with two pairs of black spots on posterior margin, outer pair smaller, located on posterolateral corners and inner pair much larger, subtriangular to oval, situated in middle. Each elytron with four spots arranged in a 1-1-1-1 pattern and two common sutural spots, one in each half. Pronotal and / or elytral spots sometimes reduced in size and / or number, rarely lateral borders of elytra narrowly black. Ventral side with mouthparts and legs yellowish brown, meso- and metasternal epimera white, middle of prosternum, meso- and metasterna and middle of abdominal segments black and elytral epipleura yellowish brown. Male genitalia (Figs 7-9) and female spermatheca (Fig. 6) as illustrated.

Figs. 1-9. Coelophora bissellata: 1. Head; 2. Antenna; 3. Prosternal intercoxal process; 4. Postcoxal line on abdominal ventrite 1; 5. Female genital plate; 6. Spermatheca; 7-9. Male genitalia: 7. Sipho; 8. Tegmen, ventral view; 9. Tegmen, lateral view.

Images

   

   

   Elytral pattern variations in C. bissellata

Distribution

India: Widely distributed (Assam; Himachal Pradesh; Karnataka; Kerala; Manipur; Meghalaya; Punjab; Sikkim; Tamil Nadu; Uttar Pradesh; West Bengal). Nepal. Bangladesh. Bhutan. Thailand. China. Indonesia. The Philippines. New Guinea.

Prey/associated habitat

HOMOPTERA: Aphidoidea: Adelges spp., Aphis craccivora Koch, Aphis fabae Scopoli, Aphis gossypii Glover, Cervaphis rappardi indica Basu, Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch), Toxoptera aurantii (Boyer de Fonscolombe), Toxoptera odinae (van der Goot). ACARI: Raoiella indica Hirst on areca palm. Collected on sugarcane, rice, cowpea, Beta vulgaris, areca palm, sandal, Argemone sp., Pterolobium indicum, Webera corymbosa, and spruce.

Seasonal occurrence

Collected during January, April-May, July-August (South India), and October-December (Eastern region).

Natural enemy

Acari: Podapolipidae: Coccipolipus sp. 

References

Puttarudriah & Channabasavanna, 1953, 1955 (brief notes); Kapur, 1962 (geographical variations in elytral pattern, with illustrations); Rhamhalinghan, 1989 (description of immature stages).