Nephus regularis ( Sicard, 1929 )

Nephus regularis ( Sicard, 1929)

( Figs 6a–h)

Scymnus ( Nephus) regularis Sicard, 1929: 183 ; Korschefsky 1931: 144.

Nephus regularis : Chelliah 1965: 166; Pang & Gordon 1986: 133.

Nephus ( Nephus) regularis : Kovář 2007: 580; Poorani & Lalitha 2018: 109 View Cited Treatment .

Material examined. Pakistan, Punjab, Chakwal , Iqbal library Park, 32°56’5” N, 72°51’16” E, 524 m, 1♂, 1♀, 16.vi.2015, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); GoogleMaps Kallar Kahar, 32°46’6” N, 72°41’58” E, 787 m, 1♀, 11.iv.2017, GoogleMaps 4♂♂, 7♀♀, 7.ix.2017, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); Rawalpindi, PMAS– Arid Agriculture University, 33°38’56” N, 73°4’54” E, 501 m, 1♂, 1♀, 27.v.2015, GoogleMaps 1♀, 11.vii.2016, 1♂, 2♀♀, 2.v.2017, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); Nawaz Sharif Park, 33°38’53” N, 73°4’37” E, 511 m, 1♂, 3♀♀, 8.vi.2015, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); GoogleMaps Taxila ( Bani), 33°44’59” N, 72°48’8” E, 490 m, 1♂, 1♀, 28.x.2016, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); GoogleMaps Jhelum, Domeli, 33°00’33” N, 73°21’26” E, 325 m, 1♂, 3♀♀, 25.iv.2017, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); GoogleMaps Murree, 22 Mill, 33°48’21” N, 73°16’9” E, 771 m, 2♂♂, 1♀, 12.x.2017, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); GoogleMaps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar , Garhi Ata Muhammad. 33°59’37” N, 71°34’55” E, 345 m, 1♂, 31.x.2015, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); GoogleMaps Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, Jalalabad Park, 34°21’38” N, 73°28’35” E, 737 m, 1♂, 2♀♀, 19.viii.2016, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR); GoogleMaps Islamabad, Kachnar Park, 33°40’32” N, 73°4’39” E, 603 m, 1♂, 2♀♀, 6.x.2016, leg. Z. Iqbal ( PMAS – AAUR) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis. Nephus regularis can be easily differentiated from other species of Nephus by entirely yellow-brown body coloration and thick membranous flagellum-like appendage at the apex of penis ( Fig. 6e).

Description. TL: 1.40–1.55 mm; TW: 1.05–1.10 mm; TH: 0.73 mm; EL/TW: 1.03–1.14; TL/TW: 1.33–1.41; HW/PW: 0.62–0.65; PL/PW: 0.49–0.52.

Body broadly oval, moderately convex, dorsum with dense whitish pubescence ( Fig. 6a); head, mouthparts, and antennae yellowish; pronotum yellow-brown; elytra yellow-brown, with darker color in basal margin and suture ( Fig. 6a); prosternal process broader than long, without carinae with fine punctures; antennae composed of 11 antennomeres, scape and pedicel almost entirely fused; abdominal postcoxal line incomplete, running parallel to the hind margin of ventrite 1, apical 1/3 length slightly curved at the lateral margin ( Fig. 6c).

Male genitalia ( Figs 6d–g). Penis stout; penis capsule with inner arm well developed, longer than outer arm, outer arm reduced ( Fig. 6d), apex of penis curved and bifurcated with membranous flagellum-like appendage outwardly ( Fig. 6e); tegmen stout with penis guide in lateral view parallel sided at 2/3 of its length then gradually converging to pointed apex ( Fig. 6f); penis guide asymmetrical in inner view ( Fig. 6g); parameres short slender; subequal in length to penis guide, with sparse long setae on apical margins ( Fig. 6f).

Female genitalia ( Fig. 6h). Coxites elongate triangular, styli present, sperm duct membranous of uniform diameter, infundibulum absent; spermatheca V-shaped, with tubular cornu.

Prey. This species was found to feed on Nipaecoccus vastator (Maskell) ( Irshad 2001; Rafi et al. 2005), Maconellicoccus hirsutus Green ( Poorani & Lalitha 2018; current study), Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley , Planococcus citri Risso ( Hemiptera : Pseudococcidae ) ( Poorani & Lalitha 2018), Tinocallis kahawaluokalani (Kirkaldy) ( Hemiptera : Aphididae ), and Euphyllura sp. ( Hemiptera : Psyllidae ) (First record for these prey).

Associated plants. Collected from the Asterales : Asteraceae : Parthenium hysterophorus Linnaeus ; Fabales : Fabaceae : Cassia fistula Linnaeus ; Lamiales : Oleaceae : Olea ferruginea Royle ; Malvales : Malvaceae : Hibiscus rosasinensis Linnaeus ; Myrtales : Lythraceae : Lagerstroemia indica Linnaeus ; Poales : Poaceae : Heteropogon contortus (Linnaeus) P. Beauvois ex Roemer & Schultes ; Rosales : Rosaceae : Cotoneaster sp. , Morus alba Linnaeus.

Distribution. Pakistan: Azad Jammu and Kashmir: Muzaffarabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Peshawar, Islamabad (current study), Punjab: Rawalpindi ( Irshad 2001; Rafi et al. 2005; current study), Jhang, Faisalabad ( Ali et al. 2015) Chakwal, Jhelum, Murree (current study), Sindh: Sukkar, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Karachi, Tandojam, ( Ali et al. 2015); India ( Poorani 2002).

Remarks. Nephus regularis originally has been described by Sicard (1929), subsequently redescribed and illustrated by several authors, including Chelliah (1965), Pang & Gordon (1986), and Poorani & Lalitha (2018). It is one of the most widely distributed species of Nephus in Pakistan. This species is similar to Scymnus ( Pullus) coccivora in external appearance but can be easily separated by a combination of generic and genitalia characteristics.