Pharoscymnus simmondsi Ahmad, 1970

Poorani, J., 2025, A review of Pharoscymnus Bedel (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Sticholotidini) of the Indian region, Zootaxa 5665 (1), pp. 37-57 : 49-52

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5665.1.2

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7416BD78-3B7A-4BDC-8CDE-2D86B1677B13

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16746129

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7E6DDB1B-8226-2231-B9E5-F934FD3DFAB4

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Pharoscymnus simmondsi Ahmad
status

 

Pharoscymnus simmondsi Ahmad

( Figs 9 View FIGURE 9 , 10a, b View FIGURE 10 )

Pharoscymnus simmondsi Ahmad, 1970: 233 .— Poorani 2002: 364; Kovář 2007: 571.

Diagnosis. Length: 1.90–2.80 mm; width: 1.60–1.80 mm. Externally similar to P. horni , but can be distinguished by the somewhat larger size, less rounded and slightly more elongate body outline with the elytra somewhat narrower in posterior half, with similarly shaped and positioned elytral spots ( Figs 9a View FIGURE 9 , 10a, b View FIGURE 10 ). Head ( Fig. 9b View FIGURE 9 ) wider than that of P. horni , interocular distance ca. 0.64× as wide as head and 3.3× as wide as an eye. Prosternal carinae ( Fig. 9c View FIGURE 9 ) medially somewhat narrower and not as broadly separated as in P. horni . Tarsal claws almost simple with a basal dilation ( Fig. 9f View FIGURE 9 ). Abdominal postcoxal line incomplete ( Fig. 9d, e View FIGURE 9 ). Male genitalia ( Fig. 9h–l View FIGURE 9 ) as illustrated, penis guide in inner view ( Fig. 9i View FIGURE 9 ) widest at the base, gradually narrowed towards apex, distinctly shorter than parameres; penis capsule ( Fig. 9k View FIGURE 9 ) broad, penis apex ( Fig. 9l View FIGURE 9 ) distinctly attenuated. Coxites ( Fig. 9g View FIGURE 9 ) elongate triangular.

Material examined. Type material: “ Paratype ♂ / Pharoscymnus simmondsi Ahmad / Feeding on Aonidiella orientalis (Newst.) on Musa sapientum ” ( BMNH: 2) ; Allotype ♀: “with same labels as Paratype, Mirpur Khas , August 26, 1965 /Pres. by Comm. Inst. Ent. B.M. 1972-2/CIE Coll. A5525” ( BMNH) . Other material. On lemon, Loc. IARI, 7.X.66, Dharam Singh Coll., 1♂, 2♀ ( NRCB).

Distribution. Pakistan; India ( Delhi) ( new record).

Prey/associated habitat. “Feeding on Aonidiella orientalis (Newstead) on Musa sapientum ” (label data of type specimens); predaceous on Chrysomphalus aonidum (Linnaeus) [as C. ficus Ashmead ], Parlatoria blanchardi Targioni Tozzetti , Parlatoria crypta Mckenzie , and Tecaspis sp. ( Ahmad 1970); Pinnaspis strachani (Cooley) , Aonidiella citrina (Coquillett) , Temnaspidiotus sp. , Ceroplastes actiniformis Green ( Rafi et al. 2005) ; collected on lemon (label data of Indian material).

Notes. Pharoscymnus simmondsi was described from Pakistan and it is newly recorded from India ( Delhi). It is likely to be distributed in the Indian states bordering Pakistan and the chances of its misidentification as P. horni are high due to their overall external similarity. The colour pattern is externally similar to P. horni but the type specimens ( Fig. 10 View FIGURE 10 , a, b; BMNH, examined) and three specimens from India ( Delhi) appear to be slightly larger than the average size of P. horni and the body outline is a little more elongate and posteriorly slightly narrower than P. horni with similarly positioned elytral spots. In the specimens examined from India, the prosternum and metaventrite are distinctly darker brown unlike P. horni , in which the ventral side is more or less uniform yellowish to yellowish brown with only the prosternal process occasionally darker.

Besides, the head and interocular distance in P. simmondsi are wider than that of P. horni and the prosternal carinae are medially somewhat narrowed and less broadly separated than in P. horni . Ahmad (1970) stated “it comes close to P. horni … and differs mainly in colour and male genitalia structures, particularly the apex of the sipho”. The illustration of the penis apex of P. simmondsi in Ahmad (1970) is almost identical to that of P. horni ( Smirnoff’s [1956: p. 23] illustration of P. horni also shows an attenuated, elongated penis apex). However, the penis guide in P. simmondsi in inner view is distinctly different from that of P. horni as it is much wider at the base and less elongate and gradually narrowed towards the apex in the posterior half, and is distinctly shorter in the lateral view. In P. horni , the penis guide in inner view is much longer, elongate cylindrical and subparallel for a little more than half of its length and only apically distinctly narrowed and it is also longer in the lateral view. The penis is more strongly and broadly curved in P. horni and the penis capsule is broader and more robust in P. simmondsi . See Ahmad (1970) for detailed description and genitalia illustrations.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Coccinellidae

SubFamily

Coccinellinae

Tribe

Sticholotidini

Genus

Pharoscymnus

Loc

Pharoscymnus simmondsi Ahmad

Poorani, J. 2025
2025
Loc

Pharoscymnus simmondsi

Kovar, I. 2007: 571
Poorani, J. 2002: 364
Ahmad, R. 1970: 233
1970
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