Stethorus ( Allostethorus ) tetranychi Kapur, 1948

Stethorus ( Allostethorus) tetranychi Kapur

( Fig. 14a–j View FIGURE 14 )

Stethorus tetranychi Kapur, 1948: 311 .– Poorani 2017: 595.

Diagnosis. Length: 1.20–1.30 mm; width: 0.90–1.00 mm. Form elongate, broadly oval, elytral apices somewhat broadly rounded to subtruncate ( Fig. 14e, f View FIGURE 14 ); dorsum moderately convex and densely pubescent. Abdominal postcoxal lines ( Fig. 14g View FIGURE 14 ) usually shallowly semicircular, rarely slightly deeper in females. Male genitalia ( Fig. 14h–j View FIGURE 14 ) diagnostic, penis guide anteriorly broad and subparallel up to middle ( Fig. 14i View FIGURE 14 ) and then gradually narrowed, with two elongate, apically narrowed and pointed prongs, parameres subequal to slightly longer than penis guide with long apical hairs ( Fig. 14h, i View FIGURE 14 ), penis ( Fig. 14j View FIGURE 14 ) stout, penis capsule having lamellate expansions and the apex laterally acutely produced.

Immature stages. Larva ( Fig. 14a, b View FIGURE 14 ) and pupa ( Fig. 14c, d View FIGURE 14 ) as illustrated.

Material examined. INDIA: Tamil Nadu: Podavur, NRCB Research Farm , N10°47'20.16" E078°34'29.88", 24-29.i.24, on banana, R. Thanigairaj, 10 ex. (ICAR-NRCB) GoogleMaps .

Distribution. India ( Andhra Pradesh; Karnataka; Kerala; Tamil Nadu; West Bengal); Bangladesh.

Biology. Associated with tetranychid mites on banana; Tetranychus sp. on banana, coconut, jute; Oligonychus biharensis on bauhinia; on coconut, Helecteres isora (prey not known) ( Vidya 2018; Vidya et al. 2022).

Notes. Kapur (1948) described it from 'Bengal: Dacca' (now Bangladesh) as a predator of Tetranychus sp. on jute. Puttarudriah & ChannaBasavanna (1956) recorded it as a predator of R. indica . Poorani (2017) gave an illustrated account of S. tetranychi and compared it with S. vietnamicus Hoàng, 1979 (distributed in Vietnam and China), a species with similar male genitalia, and a likely synonym of S. tetranychi .