Pharoscymnus flexibilis (Mulsant)

Poorani, J., 2025, A review of Pharoscymnus Bedel (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Sticholotidini) of the Indian region, Zootaxa 5665 (1), pp. 37-57 : 41-45

Pharoscymnus flexibilis (Mulsant)

( Figs 3–5 )

Scymnus (Diomus) flexibilis Mulsant, 1853a: 271 ; 1853b: 143.

Scymnus flexibilis : Crotch 1874: 252.

Pharus flexibilis : Weise 1900: 435.

Pharoscymnus flexibilis : Korschefsky, 1931: 215.— Kapur 1956: 264; Poorani 2002: 364; Kovář 2007: 570.

Pharoscymnus flexibilis kashmirensis Kapur, 1956 a: 267 .— Poorani 2002: 364; Kovář 2007: 570.

Neojauravia naeida Gordon & Almeida, 1991: 154 .—Synonymized by Poorani & Booth 2006: 30.

Diagnosis. Length: 1.80–2.20 mm; width: 1.40–1.90 mm. Form ( Fig. 3a ) broad oval, dorsum moderately convex and densely pubescent. Head and pronotum reddish or yellowish brown. Elytra pale yellowish brown or straw yellow with four or five black spots, nominate form ( Fig. 3a ) pale golden yellowish brown with dark pitchy brown elytral spots, arranged in a 2-1-2-4 pattern ( Fig. 3b–d , 4a , 5c–f ), elytral spots often fused, reduced (the minimum being two) or obsolete ( Fig. 3b, c ); forms in peninsular India usually with elytral spots much reduced in size and number or completely absent; occasionally forms found in northwestern India [subspecies kashmirensis of Kapur (1956)] larger in size than the nominate form ( Fig. 3g –k ) and more heavily pigmented with larger elytral spots. Ventral side yellowish brown except pro-, meso-, and metasterna and first abdominal ventrite dark pitchy brown. Prosternal process broad with parallel carinae ( Fig. 4e ). Tarsal claws with a basal tooth ( Fig. 4g ). Male genitalia ( Fig. 4h–j ) and female genitalia ( Fig. 4k ) as illustrated.

Immature stages. Larva is illustrated in Fig. 5a, b .

Material examined. Impl. Entomologist, On date palm leaves, INDIA: Delhi, 11.2.1948, H.N. Batra, 1 ex ( NRCB) ; On Tobacco, Pusa Bot. Area, Plot A, 9-11 A.M., 4.1.1936, R.S. Coll., 1 ex ( NRCB) ; On date palm, DELHI, 28.4.48, H.N. Batra /A1/87, 1 ex ( NRCB) ; Host: Date palm, Loc. Delhi, Date : 28.V.48, Coll. H.N. Batra, 1 ex ( NRCB) ; Host: on weeds, Loc. Wazirpur, Delhi, Date : 9.9.1985, Coll. Maya Ram /188, 1 ex. ( NRCB) .

Distribution. India: Widely distributed (Andhra Pradesh; Assam; Bihar; Gujarat; Himachal Pradesh; Jammu & Kashmir; Karnataka; Maharashtra; Manipur; New Delhi; Punjab; Rajasthan; Tamil Nadu; Uttar Pradesh; Uttarakhand; West Bengal); Nepal; Pakistan; Afghanistan; Widely distributed in the Middle East, including Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen (Raimundo & Harten 2000; Kovář 2007; Raimundo et al. 2008; Biranvand et al. 2016); Macaronesia (Fuerteventura, Canary Islands) ( Romanowski et al. 2018, 2019); USA (Florida) ( Thomas & Blanchard 2024); Brazil ( Gordon & Almeida 1991; González 2011).

Prey/associated habitat. It is mainly predatory on Coccoidea ( Hemiptera : Sternorrhyncha), particularly armoured scales ( Diaspididae ), and to some extent on other homopterous insects such as whiteflies and aphids. Kazmi and Ghani (1964) recorded the adults as mite predators. Some of the known hosts include: Hemiptera : Aleyrodidae : Indeterminate whiteflies. Aphididae : Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann) . Coccoidea: Asterolecaniidae : Hsuia sp. ; Coccidae : Coccus hesperidum Linnaeus , Parasaissetia (as Saissetia ) nigra (Nietner), Pulvinaria psidii Maskell , Drepanococcus cajani (Maskell) , Pulvinaria (as Chloropulvinaria ) polygonata Cockerell; Dactylopiidae : Dactylopius confusus on Opuntia dillenii ; Diaspididae : Aonidiella citrina (Coquerel) , Aonidiella orientalis (Newstead) , Aspidiotus excisus Green [= Temnaspidiotus excisus (Green) ], Aspidiotus destructor Signoret , Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead , Bambusaspis bambusae (Boisduval) , Chrysomphalus ficus (Ashmead) , Chrysomphalus aonidum (Linnaeus) , Cryptoparlatoreopsis sp. , Comstockaspis perniciosa (Comstock) [= Quadraspidiotus perniciosus (Comstock) ], Diaspidiotus armenicus (Borchsenius) [= Quadraspidiotus armenicus Borchsenius ], Froggattiella penicillata (Green) [= Odonaspis penicillata Green ], Hemiberlesia lataniae (Signoret) , Lepidosaphes afganensis Borchsenius [= Cornimytilus afganensis (Borchsenius) ], Lepidosaphes kazimiae (Williams) [= Andaspis kazimiae Williams ], Lepidosaphes conchiformis (Gmelin) , Lepidosaphes pallida (Maskell) , Leucaspis coniferarum Hall & Williams , Lindingaspis ferrisi Mckenzie , Lopholeucaspis japonica (Cockerell) , Parlatoria blanchardi (Targioni Tozzetti) , Parlatoria crypta McKenzie , Parlatoria ghanii Hall & Williams , Parlatoria oleae (Colvee) , Pinnaspis strachani (Cooley) , Parlatoreopsis longispina (Newstead) , Pseudaulacaspis sp. , Prodiaspis tamaricicola (Malenotti) [= Rugaspidiotus tamaricicola (Malenotti) ], Salicicola kermanensis (Lindinger) , Tecaspis sp. , Temnaspidiotus sinensis Ferris ; Monophlebidae : Icerya aegyptiaca (Douglas) ; Phoenicococcidae : Phoenicococcus marlatti Cockerell ; Pseudococcidae : Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead) (as N. vastator (Maskell)) , Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley , Rastrococcus iceryoides (Green) , Rastrococcus spinosus (Robinson) , Trabutina (as Naiacoccus ) sp.; Acari: Tenuipalpidae : Cenopalpus pulcher (Canestrini & Fanzago) . Tetranychidae : Eutetranychus orientalis (Klein) , Tetranychus turkestani atlanticus McGregor (Kazmi & Ghani 1964; Ahmad & Ghani 1972; Rafi et al. 2005).

Collected in association with scales on temperate fruits, apple, peach, pear, nectarine, citrus, mango, Euonymus sp. , Salix sp. , date palm, Zizyphus mauritiana , Melia azedarach , Pinus longifolia , Pinus roxburghii , Prunus persica , Dendrocalamus strictus , Bambusa vulgaris , Olea cuspidata , castor, cotton, coconut, Ficus palmata, Eugenia cumini , sandal, and many other host plants in India and Pakistan.

Seasonal occurrence. Active during April–May and July–October in northwestern India and Pakistan. Hibernation takes place in the adult stage ( Kapur 1956). In Kashmir, adults were observed to emerge in May and started overwintering in November ( Maqbool et al. 2020).

Notes. Illustrated diagnostic accounts of P. flexibilis are provided by Smirnoff (1956), Kapur (1956), González (2011), Romanowski et al. (2018), and Gordon & Almeida (1991) (as Neojauravia naeida ). It is a variable species and usually forms with much fewer/reduced elytral spots are only collected in peninsular India. As mentioned, Pharoscymnus flexibilis kashmirensis Kapur (1956) differs from the nominate form only in being larger in size and more heavily pigmented and the male genitalia of both are identical. Neojauravia naeida Gordon & Almeida, 1991 described from Brazil (as the type of Neojauravia Gordon & Almeida, 1991 ) was synonymized by Poorani & Booth (2006) with P. flexibilis . Thomas & Blanchard (2024) reported it from the USA (Florida) as an ‘immigrant’ and mentioned “the pathway for its arrival is unknown, but it is likely that it was transported on scaleinfested plants from Asia or Brazil ”. Ghani & Ahmad (1966) studied its biology on C. perniciosa , A. orientalis , and Lepidosaphes sp. in Pakistan and Sharma et al. (1990) studied its bioecology in northwestern India. Puttarudriah & Channabasavanna (1953, 1955) provided brief notes on its occurrence in south India.

This is an effective predator of San Jose scale ( Comstockaspis perniciosa ), a major pest of apple and other temperate fruits, in northwestern India and Pakistan and its field efficacy after inoculative releases in northwestern India has been evaluated by several workers ( Rawat et al. 1988; Thakur et al. 1989; Singh 1993).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Pharoscymnus flexibilis (Mulsant), polymorphic forms.

FIGURE 4. Pharoscymnus flexibilis (Mulsant): a) dorsal view; b) head; c) antenna; d) maxilla; e) prosternal process; f) abdomen, male; g) tarsi/tarsal claws; h–j) male genitalia: h) tegmen, lateral view; i) tegmen, inner view; j) penis; k) female genitalia.

FIGURE 5. Pharoscymnus flexibilis (Mulsant): a, b) larva; c–f) adult in its natural habitat.