Nephus ancyroides Pang & Pu, 1988

Nephus ancyroides Pang & Pu, 1988

Figs 1a–j

Nephus ancyroides Pang & Pu, 1988: 239 .

Nephus dilepismoides Pang & Pu, 1988: 240 . Ren & Pang 1994: 326.

Nephus (Geminosipho) ancyroides : Yu & Lau 2001: 155.

Material examined. Pakistan, Punjab, Murree, 22 Mill , 33°48’21” N, 73°16’90” E, 771 m, 5♂♂, 16♀♀, 12.x.2017, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR) ; 1♂, 2♀♀, 13.xi.2017, leg. I. Bodlah ( PMAS – AAUR) .

Diagnosis. Nephus ancyroides can easily be separated from other species of Nephus by having dark reddish-brown elytral maculae, not well defined, touching posterior margin of elytra ( Fig. 1a), and apex of penis pincer-shaped ( Fig. 1g).

Description. TL: 1.50–1.73 mm; TW: 1.02–1.15 mm; TH: 0.66–0.77 mm; EL/TW: 1.09–1.10; TL/TW: 1.50; HW/PW: 0.62–0.65; PL/PW: 0.43–0.53.

Body elongate oval, slightly convex, dorsum with dense white pubescence ( Fig. 1a); pronotum and head black ( Fig. 1d); elytra black with apical dark reddish-brown maculae touching posterior margin ( Fig. 1a); antennae composed of 10 antennomeres ( Fig. 1e); prosternal process without carinae ( Fig. 1c); abdominal postcoxal line on ventrite 1 incomplete and reaching to 2/3 of its length, curved upward at lateral margin ( Fig. 1d).

Male genitalia ( Figs 1f–i) with penis stout, penis capsule with long inner arm and short outer one ( Fig. 1f); apex of penis pincer-shaped ( Fig. 1g); tegmen with penis guide in lateral view, wider medially and tapering gradually toward apex ( Fig. 1h); penis guide in inner view abruptly converging to blunt apex ( Fig. 1i); parameres slender and as long as penis guide ( Fig. 1h).

Female genitalia ( Fig. 1j). Coxites triangular, styli present; sperm duct membranous of uniform diameter, adjacent to the apical part of bursa, infundibulum absent; spermatheca vermiform with two distinct large tubular cornus, without clearly defined nodulus or ramus.

Prey. This species feeds on Aphis gossypii Glover ( Hemiptera : Aphididae ) (First record for this prey).

Associated plants. Poales : Poaceae : Sorghum halepense Linnaeus ; Lamiales : Verbenaceae : Lantana camara Linnaeus.

Distribution. Pakistan: Punjab: Murree (current study); China ( Pang & Pu 1988). A new species record for Pakistan.

Remarks. Pang & Pu (1988) originally described and illustrated this species from China, Nephus ancyroides is rarely collected in Pakistan.