Hyperaspis maindroni SIcARD 1929

(FIG. 3)

Brief description: LENGtH 2.16–2.70 MM, WIDtH 1.62–2.10 MM. FORM (FIG. 3A) OVAtE, DORSOVENtRAllY MODERAtElY FlAttENED, DORSUM GlAbROUS. HEAD AND PRONOtUM ORANGE YEllOW; EYES bRIllIANt MEtAllIc GREEN IN lIVE SPEcIMENS.

ElYtRA PAlE cREAMY WHItE tO YEllOW, WItH tHREE lONGItUDINAl blAck StRIPES, ONE ON EAcH ElYtRON IN A MID-DORSAl POSItION NOt REAcHING bASAl MARGIN OR APEX AND ONE AlONG SUtURAl lINE REAcHING APEX (FIG. 3A), ElYtRAl APEX VERY NARROWlY bORDERED blAck; SOMEtIMES All StRIPES jOINED tOGEtHER WItH A SHORt StEM NEAR APEX, FORMING A tRIDENt SHAPED MARkING (FIG. 3b). POStERIOR MARGIN OF ElYtRA SUbtRUNcAtE, lEAVING AbDOMINAl tIP SlIGHtlY EXPOSED. AbDOMINAl POStcOXAl lINE (FIG. 3c) APIcAllY INcOMPlEtE. MAlE GENItAlIA (FIGS 3D–H) AS IllUStRAtED. It IS SIMIlAR tO B. suturalis IN GENERAl APPEARANcE, bUt cAN bE EASIlY SEPARAtED FROM tHE lAttER bY ItS SMAllER SIZE, SOMEWHAt ANGUlAR, MORE FlAttENED bODY OUtlINE AND MUcH lARGER ScUtEllUM.

Notes: THIS SPEcIES IS WIDElY DIStRIbUtED IN MANY StAtES OF INDIA. CABI’S DAtASHEEt (2017) ON tHE PREDAtORS OF M. hirsutus MENtIONS tHAt It IS PRESENt IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA, bUt MOSt OF tHE PUblISHED lItERAtURE ON tHIS SPEcIES IS FROM tHE INDIAN SUbcONtINENt. REcENtlY, BIRANVAND et al. (2017) SUGGEStED tHAt Hyperaspis vinciguerrae CAPRA (1929), A SPEcIES DEScRIbED FROM NORtH AFRIcA ONlY FOUR MONtHS EARlIER tHAN SIcARD’S DEScRIPtION OF H. maindroni FROM INDIA, IS PRObAblY SYNONYMOUS WItH H. maindroni. THIS APPEARS tO bE UNlIkElY AS H. vinciguerrae EXHIbItS DIStINct SEXUAl DIMORPHISM WItH tHE HEAD DARk IN FEMAlE AND tEStAcEOUS IN MAlE AND tHE PRONOtUM IS blAck, WItH WHItISH YEllOW lAtERAl MARGINS. IN H. maindroni, MAlES AND FEMAlES ARE AlIkE WItH tHE HEAD AND PRONOtUM REDDISH bROWN IN bOtH SEXES, WItH ONlY tHE PRONOtUM OFtEN HAVING A MEDIAN FUScOUS PAtcH. THE MAlE GENItAlIA OF H. vinciguerrae IllUStRAtED bY RAIMUNDO & VAN HARtEN (2000) AND BIRANVAND et al. (2017) ARE SUPERFIcIAllY SIMIlAR tO tHOSE OF H. maindroni, bUt APPEAR tO bE DIFFERENt (FIGS 3D–H). THE MAlE GENItAlIA OF H. maindroni FROM DIFFERENt PARtS OF INDIA SHOW SOME DEGREE OF VARIAtION (FIGS 3D–H) IN tHE SHAPE OF tHE PENIS GUIDE AND tHE PENIS APEX. THESE POPUlAtIONS NEED tO bE StUDIED IN MORE DEtAIl tO cONclUDE IF tHESE VARIAtIONS ARE MERElY INtRASPEcIFIc. AlIZADEH et al. (2013) REcORDED H. vinciguerrae AS A PREDAtOR OF M. hirsutus FROM IRAN.