Protoplotina Miyatake, 1994

Genus Protoplotina Miyatake

Protoplotina Miyatake, 1994: 285 .

Type species: Protoplotina vietnamica Miyatake, 1994 , by original designation and monotypy.

Diagnosis. Small sized beetles, almost like Scymnini in general appearance. Form elongate oval, moderately convex, dorsum with head and pronotum conspicuously pubescent, elytra with very short, suberect setae, sparse, apparent on lateral margins. Antenna 10-segmented. Maxillary palps with terminal palpomere elongate, apical margin oblique, not greatly dilated. Basal line of pronotum inconspicuous. Lateral margins of elytra entirely visible from above. Prosternum anteriorly semicircularly produced, almost fully covering mouthparts. Prosternal process without carinae. Elytral epipleura not grooved for reception of legs in repose. Abdominal postcoxal lines usually incomplete with an associate oblique line (Miyatake 1994), extremely variable in P. ambigua Poorani (distinctly angular and complete, or incomplete, running parallel to posterior margin of ventrite 1 with an associate line). Femora moderately robust, not expanded, tibiae broadened apically. Male genitalia of known species with penis guide of tegmen distinctly shorter than parameres. Female genitalia with elongate triangular coxites, spermatheca apparently species-specific and diagnostic.

Distribution. India, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Guam Island (Miyatake 1994; Poorani 2003; Poorani et al. 2021).

Notes. All known species of Protoplotina have incomplete abdominal postcoxal lines with an associate oblique line. However, P. ambigua shows extreme variations in the shape and extent of abdominal postcoxal lines that vary from incomplete with an associate line to rarely, complete ( Poorani et al. 2021).The extralimital genus Catanoplotina also has incomplete abdominal postcoxal lines but differs from Protoplotina in lacking an oblique associate line and has a compact form ( Kovář 1995), that is superficially similar to Catana Chapin, 1940 (now Serangium Blackburn, 1889 ).

Included species. Three species, Protoplotina sp. near vietnamica , P. nigrosuturalis Poorani , and P. ambigua Poorani , are known from India. Poorani et al. (2021) provided a revised key to species. Except for P. ambigua , other species were described from female specimens only.