Stictobura semipolita Sicard

3. semipolita Sicard

(Figs. 2–6, 18a–e, 24–27)

Stictobura semipolita Sicard, 1911: 384 (Lectotype; BMNH. Type locality: Nilgiri Hills).— Korschefsky, 1931: 211 (cat.) Stictobura semipolita ab. fuscipes Sicard, 1911: 385.— Korschefsky, 1931: 211.

Stictobura semipolita ab. testaceicollis Sicard, 1911: 385.— Korschefsky, 1931: 211.

Stictobura rubroguttata Sicard, 1925: 449 (Lectotype, BMNH).—Synonymised by Korschefsky, 1933: 7.

Diagnosis. Stictobura semipolita has variable elytral colour and pattern (Figs. 2–6, 18a–e). It is somewhat similar in terms of general colour scheme and elytral pattern to Sticholotis obscurella Weise (1908), but it can be easily differentiated from the latter by the much larger size, more strongly convex body and the male genitalia.

Redescription. Length 3.8–4.0 mm; width 3.5–3.7 mm; TL/EW: 1.12–1.14; EL/EW: 1.03–1.12; PL/PW: 0.42–0.45. Form circular (Fig. 5) to distinctly obovate (Figs 2–4, 6), with elytra posteriorly narrowed towards apex, dorsal side strongly convex. Head and pronotum yellowish-testaceous, elytral colour and pattern variable as follows: (i) elytra reddish with a broad black border (ab. fuscipes Sicard) (Figs. 5, 18e), (ii) sutural border also black with a median circular spot, with two reddish brown, elongate discal spots (nominate form) (these spots medially interrupted partially or fully in some examples) (Figs. 3, 4, 18b–d), (iii) elytra dark brown to black with four distinct reddish brown spots (S. rubroguttata) (Figs. 2, 18a), and (iv) elytra more or less fully reddish brown (S. testaceicollis) (Fig. 6). Scutellum reddish brown. Ventral side more or less uniform yellowish brown, except antennomeres 5–11 and outer margin of elytral epipleura darker brown. Head with silvery white pubescence, punctures shallowly impressed, separated by 2–4 diameters, interspaces strongly reticulate. Antenna 11-segmented, clothed with prominent yellowish white pubescence, club long, three-segmented, terminal antennomere elongate oval. Pronotum with shallow punctures, slightly more deeply impressed than those on head, separated by 2–5 diameters on disc, slightly denser and closer on lateral sides, interspaces strongly reticulate; posterior margin strongly arcuate, with submarginal line. Elytral punctures distinctly dual, large punctures separated by 2–4 diameters, with finer punctures in interstices, interspaces smooth, shiny. Prosternal process broad, subtrapezoidal, carinae distinctly divergent towards anterior. Anterior margin of mesosternum broadly, semicircularly emarginate in middle. Ventrite 5 conical with posterior margin arcuate in female, broader with posterior margin faintly emarginate in male. Male genitalia (Figs. 24–27) with basal lobe longer than parameres, apically very strongly arched and narrowed towards parameres in lateral view (Fig. 24); in ventral view (Fig. 25) elongate cylindrical, apically narrowed; sipho (Fig.26, 27) with a large, prominent, spatulate capsule.

Specimens examined. Lectotype of Stictobura semipolita (designated here) : Male, labelled Type [printed, red-bordered circular Museum label]/ Nilgiri Hills. H.L. Andrewes. [printed]/ H.L. Andrewes Nilgiri Hills [printed]/ Type [printed in red ink]/ Andrewes Bequest B.M. 1922-221. [printed]/ Stictobura semipolita n.sp. Sic [Sicard's handwriting] (BMNH). Other specimens: 6 specimens on 1 card, labelled Type [printed, red-bordered circular Museum label]/ Nilgiri Hills. H.L. Andrewes. [printed]/ H.L. Andrewes Nilgiri Hills [printed]/ Type [printed in red ink]/ Andrewes Bequest B.M. 1922-221. [printed]/ Stictobura semipolita n.sp. Sic [Sicard's handwriting]. 10 specimens on 3 cards, labelled Co-type [printed, green-bordered circular Museum label]/ Nilgiri Hills. H.L. Andrewes. [printed]/ H.L. Andrewes Nilgiri Hills [printed]/ Andrewes Bequest B.M. 1922-221. [printed]. 20 specimens on 7 cards, labelled Co-type [printed, green-bordered circular Museum label]/ Nilgiri Hills. H.L. Andrewes. [printed]/ Nilgiri Hills [printed]/ Andrewes Bequest B.M. 1922-221. [printed] (BMNH). S. semipolita ab. fuscipes (2 specimens): 1 directly pinned specimen, labelled Type [printed, red-bordered circular Museum label]/ Nilgiri Hills. H.L. Andrewes. [printed]/ H.L. Andrewes Nilgiri Hills [printed]/ Type [printed on orange background, Andrewes collection label]/ Type [printed in red ink]/ Andrewes Bequest B.M. 1922-221. [printed]/ Stictobura semipolita S. v. fuscipes [Sicard's handwriting]. 1 directly pinned specimen, labelled Co-type [printed, green-bordered circular Museum label]/ Nilgiri Hills. H.L. Andrewes. [printed]/ H.L. Andrewes Nilgiri Hills [printed]/ Andrewes Bequest B.M. 1922-221. [printed] (BMNH). S. semipolita ab. testaceicollis : 1 carded specimen, labelled Type [printed, red-bordered circular Museum label]/ Nadgani Malabar [hand written]/ Type [printed on orange background, Andrewes collection label]/ Type [printed in red ink]/ Andrewes Bequest B.M. 1922-221. [printed]/ Stictobura semipolita Sic. v. testaceicollis S [Sicard's handwriting] (BMNH).

Lectotype of rubroguttata (designated here): “Type (circular red bordered Label)/ Nilgiri Hills, H.L. Andrewes/ Andrewes Bequest B.M.1922-221/ Nilgiri Hills / Stictobura rubroguttata Sic. n. s/r 9s??? (in Sicard’s handwriting)/Type (rectangular orange label)/H.L Andrewes, Nilgiri Hills ” (BMNH). Others: On coffee green bug, Gulikere estate, June 56, G.P.C. Basavanna 1368/ Com. Inst. Ent. Coll. No. 14949/ Stictobura nr. semipolita Sic. R.D. Pope det. 1956/ Pres. Comm. Inst. Ent. B.M. 1981-315 (BMNH); South India, Kerala State, Trivandrum, Ponmudi range, 10.v.1973, Leg. T.R.S. Nathan, 2 ex.; Anamalai hills, 2400, Madras, JCM Gardner, 6.V.1930 /420/ Korschefsky collection, 1952/ Stictobura rubroguttata det. A.S. Ślipiński, 1 male; Kerala, Calicut dist., Chembra Peak, V.1970, leg. T.R. Susainathan/ Collection of Verne Reaves, 1 female (MNHN).

Distribution. This appears to be most common species of the genus in southern India, but is confined to the Western Ghats range (Tamil Nadu; Karnataka; Kerala).

Notes. One of the long series of Sicard’s syntypes of S. semipolita (BMNH) has been designated as lectotype. The median lobe in the lectotype male (designated above) is rather less strongly curved than shown in the figures, but the sipho agrees well (dissected and studied by RGB). Although Sicard labelled his varieties "v.", he published them as "ab.", so the names are automatically infrasubspecific and therefore not available under the ICZN Code. The syntype of S. rubroguttata (BMNH, examined) is designated as lectotype (above) in order to fix the identity of the species and confirm its synonymy, because the original description gave no indication of the number of original specimens examined. It was earlier synonymised with S. semipolita by Korschefsky (1933), who mentioned that this is the darkest form of S. semipolita. The lectotype has yellowish-testaceous head and pronotum as the nominate form of S. semipolita, but the elytra are dark pitchy brown to black with four reddish spots, one pair in each half. The body outline is variable in S. semipolita —elytra somewhat obovate and posteriorly distinctly narrowed towards apex (Figs. 2–4, 6) or distinctly rounded (Fig. 5). Korschefsky (1933) and Chatterjee and Bose (1933) provided brief notes on the species and illustrated the variations in elytral pattern.

Biology. Predatory on coffee green scale, Coccus viridis (Green) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) (label data). Associated with scales infesting coffee and sandal (Chatterjee and Bose, 1933).