Priscibrumus lituratus (Gorham)

(Figs 63–65)

Exochomus lituratus Gorham, 1894 a: 203 .

Exochomus lituratus: Korschefsky 1932: 255.

Exochomus (Exochomus) lituratus: Chapin 1965: 249.

Priscibrumus lituratus: Kovář 1997: 117; Poorani 2002: 314; Kovář 2007: 595.

Diagnosis. Length: 4.14–4.56 mm; width: 2.95–3.20 mm. Form (Fig. 63) oval, weakly convex. Head and pronotum dull fuscous black. Elytra dull ferrugineous to ochreous yellow, with two lateral oblique black stripes starting from just below humeral callus, progressively broader and confluent near elytral apex (Fig. 63a–c); elytral vittae rarely very wide occupying most of discal area (Fig. 63d). Ventral side black, except elytral epipleura yellowish brown. Elytral punctures close, coarse and deeply impressed, separated by less than a diameter. Male genitalia (Fig. 64e–g) and spermatheca (Fig. 64d) as illustrated.

Life stages. Immature stages (Fig. 65) as illustrated.

Distribution. India (Himachal Pradesh; Jammu & Kashmir; Sikkim; Uttarakhand; Uttar Pradesh); Pakistan; Nepal.

Prey/associated habitat. Hemiptera: Aphidoidea: Adelges spp., Aphis cf. gossypii Glover, Aphis sp. ? fabae Scopoli, Dreyfusia (as Adelges) knucheli (Schneider-Orelli & Schneider), and Pemphigus sp. Distributed allover the fir forests between 2100 and 3500 m in north-western India and Pakistan. Feeds on Adelges joshii S.O. & S., Salicicola sp., Dioryctria abietella (Irshad, 2001) .

Seasonal occurrence. Active during February–July (Nagarkatti & Ghani, 1972); collected during November (label data).

Natural enemy. Dinocampus coccinellae (Schrank) (Nagarkatti & Ghani, 1972) .

Notes. See Nagarkatti & Ghani (1972) for a detailed description of immature stages, larval chaetotaxy and bionomics on adelgids. Smith (1965) studied the cytological separation of Priscibrumus lituratus and P. uropygialis .