Oenopia billieti (Mulsant)

(Figs 142, 143)

Harmonia billieti Mulsant, 1853: 16 (Lectotype, UCCC; Type locality: “les provinces boréales des Indes Orientales”).

Synharmonia billieti: Mader 1931: 191; Kapur 1963a: 33.

Coccinella billieti: Korschefsky 1932: 447.

Coccinella (Synharmonia) billieti: Kapur 1958: 327.

Coccinella (Synharmonia) billieti var. pruthii Kapur, 1958: 327.

Coccinella (Synharmonia) billieti var. testacea Kapur, 1958: 327.

Oenopia billieti: Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1982: 410; Poorani 2002a: 336; Poorani 2002b: 106; Yu 2010: 88–89.

Protocaria billieti: Miyatake 1985: 15.

Synharmonia flava Fürsch, 1960: 302 (Holotype male, NHMB).— Kovář 2007: 621.

Diagnosis. Length: 3.00– 4.15 mm; width: 2.10–2.90 mm. Form elongate oval, weakly convex. Ground colour yellowish testaceous, with black markings on head, pronotum and elytra. Head anteriorly yellow or with a triangular black macula. Pronotum with a large, trapezoidal median black macula. Elytra immaculate yellow (Fig. 142a) or with a double anchor-shaped pattern (Fig. 142b), sometimes coalesced to form a larger pattern with rows of spots (Fig. 142c). Male genitalia (Fig. 142d–f) and spermatheca (Fig. 142g) as illustrated.

Distribution. India (Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya, Punjab, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand); Bhutan; Nepal; Bangladesh; Tibet; China.

Prey/associated habitat. Aphidoidea: Adelges sp., Brachycaudus helichrysi (Kaltenbach), indeterminate aphids infesting Artemisia sp. Delphacidae: Nilaparvata lugens (Stål). Commonly associated with adelgids infesting silver fir, spruce, and other conifers in northwestern and northeastern regions.

Seasonal occurrence. Collected during May, July–September, and November from northern region.

Notes. As per a handwritten note appended to the specimens at BMNH by R.G. Booth, “ var. testacea Kapur 1958 appears to be a distinct species, c.f. genitalia / infundibulum, det. R.G. Booth, 1988”. Synharmonia flava F̧rsch, 1960 (holotype male, NHB; see Fig. 143) is a synonym of O. billieti (Kovář 2007) and the image of the holotype male (obtained through the courtesy of Dr Matthias Borer, NHB) and the genitalia correspond to those of O. billieti forms with immaculate elytra (var. testacea Kapur). The material examined by F̧rsch (1960) came from ‘Karaun Kulu’ and ‘Manali Kulu’ (Himachal Pradesh, northwestern India). Several specimens of O. billieti examined from the same region (NBAIR) also match the description of S. flava. Oenopia billeti var. testacea closely resembles Eoadalia juliae (BMNH, examined), but the genitalia of E. juliae could not be examined for confirmation. Oenopia flavidbrunna Jing is removed from synonymy with O. billieti (Kovář, 2007: 621) (status revised) and treated as a valid species because its male genitalia are totally different.

See Kapur (1958), Poorani (2002b) and Yu (2010) for descriptive accounts and / or more illustrations.