Abstract
BackgroundHarmonia dunlopi (Crotch), a rare lady beetle species, was originally described from 'India' by Crotch (1874). But information on subsequent sightings of this species is absent and it has not been reported by anyone from India and its neighbouring countries ever since its original description. Because of this, Indian records of H. dunlopi were suspected to be probably misidentifications of H. dimidiata (F.), a species common in northern and northeastern India and also widely distributed in the Oriental region.New informationA single male specimen of a species collected in recent surveys from Arunachal Pradesh, India, was suspected to be H. dunlopi. Comparison of this specimen with the collections at the Natural History Museum, London, confirmed that it belonged to Harmonia manillana (Mulsant), hitherto known from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Harmonia manillana is a highly polymorphic species with many synonyms and based on examination of the type material, the following nomenclatural changes are proposed. Harmonia dunlopi was found to be only a color variant of H. manillana and hence it is reduced to a junior synonym of H. manillana (syn. nov.). Harmonia decussata (Crotch 1874) is removed from synonymy with H. manillana and reinstated as a valid species (stat. rev.) and H. flavomarginata Bielawski 1968 is a new junior synonym of H. decussata (syn. nov.). This is the first record of H. manillana for India and South Asia. The male genitalia of H. manillana are illustrated and compared with those of H. dimidiata, the more common Indian species, to facilitate its recognition.
Highlights
Harmonia dunlopi (Crotch 1874) was originally described as Leis dunlopi Crotch with "India" as the type locality
A single male specimen of a species collected in recent surveys from Arunachal Pradesh, India, was suspected to be H. dunlopi
Comparison of this specimen with the collections at the Natural History Museum, London, confirmed that it belonged to Harmonia manillana (Mulsant), hitherto known from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines
Summary
Harmonia dunlopi (Crotch), a rare lady beetle species, was originally described from 'India' by Crotch (1874). Indian records of H. dunlopi were suspected to be probably misidentifications of H. dimidiata (F.), a species common in northern and northeastern India and widely distributed in the Oriental region. A single male specimen of a species collected in recent surveys from Arunachal Pradesh, India, was suspected to be H. dunlopi. Comparison of this specimen with the collections at the Natural History Museum, London, confirmed that it belonged to Harmonia manillana (Mulsant), hitherto known from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The male genitalia of H. manillana are illustrated and compared with those of H. dimidiata, the more common Indian species, to facilitate its recognition
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