Nephus regularis ( Sicard, 1929 )

Iqbal, Zafar, Azad, Rashid, Szawaryn, Karol, Chen, Xiao-Sheng, Xu, Hai-Zhou, Li, Xin-Yi, Bodlah, Imran, Wunjuntuk, Kansuda & Nasir, Muhammad Farooq, 2025, A review of the genus Nephus Mulsant, 1846 (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from Pakistan, Zootaxa 5661 (3), pp. 367-380 : 374-375

Nephus regularis ( Sicard, 1929)

( Figs 6a–h)

Scymnus (Nephus) regularis Sicard, 1929: 183 ; Korschefsky 1931: 144.

Nephus regularis : Chelliah 1965: 166; Pang & Gordon 1986: 133.

Nephus (Nephus) regularis : Kovář 2007: 580; Poorani & Lalitha 2018: 109 .

Material examined. Pakistan, Punjab, Chakwal , Iqbal library Park , 32°56’5” N, 72°51’16” E, 524 m, 1♂, 1♀, 16.vi.2015, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); Kallar Kahar , 32°46’6” N, 72°41’58” E, 787 m, 1♀, 11.iv.2017, 4♂♂, 7♀♀, 7.ix.2017, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); Rawalpindi, PMAS– Arid Agriculture University , 33°38’56” N, 73°4’54” E, 501 m, 1♂, 1♀, 27.v.2015, 1♀, 11.vii.2016 , 1♂, 2♀♀, 2.v.2017, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); Nawaz Sharif Park , 33°38’53” N, 73°4’37” E, 511 m, 1♂, 3♀♀, 8.vi.2015, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); Taxila (Bani) , 33°44’59” N, 72°48’8” E, 490 m, 1♂, 1♀, 28.x.2016, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); Jhelum, Domeli , 33°00’33” N, 73°21’26” E, 325 m, 1♂, 3♀♀, 25.iv.2017, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); Murree, 22 Mill , 33°48’21” N, 73°16’9” E, 771 m, 2♂♂, 1♀, 12.x.2017, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR) ; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar , Garhi Ata Muhammad . 33°59’37” N, 71°34’55” E, 345 m, 1♂, 31.x.2015, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, Jalalabad Park , 34°21’38” N, 73°28’35” E, 737 m, 1♂, 2♀♀, 19.viii.2016, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); Islamabad, Kachnar Park , 33°40’32” N, 73°4’39” E, 603 m, 1♂, 2♀♀, 6.x.2016, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR) .

Diagnosis. Nephus regularis can be easily differentiated from other species of Nephus by entirely yellow-brown body coloration and thick membranous flagellum-like appendage at the apex of penis ( Fig. 6e).

Description. TL: 1.40–1.55 mm; TW: 1.05–1.10 mm; TH: 0.73 mm; EL/TW: 1.03–1.14; TL/TW: 1.33–1.41; HW/PW: 0.62–0.65; PL/PW: 0.49–0.52.

Body broadly oval, moderately convex, dorsum with dense whitish pubescence ( Fig. 6a); head, mouthparts, and antennae yellowish; pronotum yellow-brown; elytra yellow-brown, with darker color in basal margin and suture ( Fig. 6a); prosternal process broader than long, without carinae with fine punctures; antennae composed of 11 antennomeres, scape and pedicel almost entirely fused; abdominal postcoxal line incomplete, running parallel to the hind margin of ventrite 1, apical 1/3 length slightly curved at the lateral margin ( Fig. 6c).

Male genitalia ( Figs 6d–g). Penis stout; penis capsule with inner arm well developed, longer than outer arm, outer arm reduced ( Fig. 6d), apex of penis curved and bifurcated with membranous flagellum-like appendage outwardly ( Fig. 6e); tegmen stout with penis guide in lateral view parallel sided at 2/3 of its length then gradually converging to pointed apex ( Fig. 6f); penis guide asymmetrical in inner view ( Fig. 6g); parameres short slender; subequal in length to penis guide, with sparse long setae on apical margins ( Fig. 6f).

Female genitalia ( Fig. 6h). Coxites elongate triangular, styli present, sperm duct membranous of uniform diameter, infundibulum absent; spermatheca V-shaped, with tubular cornu.

Prey. This species was found to feed on Nipaecoccus vastator (Maskell) ( Irshad 2001; Rafi et al. 2005), Maconellicoccus hirsutus Green ( Poorani & Lalitha 2018; current study), Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley , Planococcus citri Risso ( Hemiptera : Pseudococcidae ) ( Poorani & Lalitha 2018), Tinocallis kahawaluokalani (Kirkaldy) ( Hemiptera : Aphididae ), and Euphyllura sp. ( Hemiptera : Psyllidae ) (First record for these prey).

Associated plants. Collected from the Asterales : Asteraceae : Parthenium hysterophorus Linnaeus ; Fabales : Fabaceae : Cassia fistula Linnaeus ; Lamiales : Oleaceae : Olea ferruginea Royle ; Malvales : Malvaceae : Hibiscus rosasinensis Linnaeus ; Myrtales : Lythraceae : Lagerstroemia indica Linnaeus ; Poales : Poaceae : Heteropogon contortus (Linnaeus) P. Beauvois ex Roemer & Schultes ; Rosales : Rosaceae : Cotoneaster sp. , Morus alba Linnaeus.

Distribution. Pakistan: Azad Jammu and Kashmir: Muzaffarabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Peshawar, Islamabad (current study), Punjab: Rawalpindi ( Irshad 2001; Rafi et al. 2005; current study), Jhang, Faisalabad ( Ali et al. 2015) Chakwal, Jhelum, Murree (current study), Sindh: Sukkar, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Karachi, Tandojam, ( Ali et al. 2015); India ( Poorani 2002).

Remarks. Nephus regularis originally has been described by Sicard (1929), subsequently redescribed and illustrated by several authors, including Chelliah (1965), Pang & Gordon (1986), and Poorani & Lalitha (2018). It is one of the most widely distributed species of Nephus in Pakistan. This species is similar to Scymnus (Pullus) coccivora in external appearance but can be easily separated by a combination of generic and genitalia characteristics.