Brumoides suturalis (Fabricius) (=Brumus suturalis (Fabricius))

Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Chilocorinae: Chilocorini

Length 4.0 mm, width 2.7 mm. Form oval, dorsum convex. Head and pronotum orange yellow. Scutellum black. Elytra satiny white to creamy yellow, with three black stripes (vittae), one on each elytron in a mid-dorsal position not extending to apex and one along sutural line nearly extending to apex, apical portion yellowish to reddish brown. Anterior clypeal margin (Fig. 1) medially emarginate. Antenna (Fig. 2) eight-segmented. Maxillary palpi (Fig. 3) with terminal segment subcylindrical, apical margin obliquely transverse. Postcoxal line on abdominal ventrite 1 (Fig. 4) complete. Last visible abdominal segment with posterior margin emarginate in male and narrowly rounded in female. Tarsal claw (Fig. 5) simple. Male genitalia (Figs. 6, 7) as illustrated. Larva slaty grey, with prominent spiny protuberances on dorsal side.


Figs. 1-7. Brumoides suturalis: 1. Head; 2. Antenna; 3. Maxilla; 4. Postcoxal line on abdominal ventrite I; 5. Tarsal claw;
6-7. Male genitalia; 6. Tegmen, ventral view; 7. Sipho.

   Larva
 Larvae feeding on scales
     Adult of B. suturalis

Widespread almost throughout India (Andhra Pradesh; Goa; Jammu & Kashmir; Karnataka; Kerala; Manipur; Punjab; Tamil Nadu; Uttar Pradesh; West Bengal). Nepal. Bhutan. Sri Lanka.

This species departs from the normal food habits of the other genera of Chilocorini, which are mainly scale feeders. It is more polyphagous and largely predatory on aphids, whiteflies, psyllids, scales, mealybugs and mites. Gorham (1894) reported its feeding on pollen of grasses.

Specific host records are as follows: HEMIPTERA: Aleyrodidae: Aleurocanthus woglumi Ashby, Aleurolobus barodensis (Maskell), Aleurolobus citrifolii Corbett, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), Dialeurodes elongata Dozier, Dialeurodes citri (Ashmead), Neomaskellia andropogonis Corbett, Trialeurodes ricini (Misra). Aphidoidea: Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), Adelges sp., Aphis affinis Del Guercio, Aphis craccivora Koch, Aphis fabae Scopoli, Aphis gossypii Glover, Aphis nerii Boyer de Fonscolombe, Asiphonella cynodonti (Das), Brachycaudus pruni (Koch), Dactynotus carthami (Hille Ris Lambers), Uroleucon compositae (Theobald), Hyalopterus atriplicis (Linnaeus), Hyadaphis coriandri (Das), Lipaphis pseudobrassicae (Kaltenbach) (as L. erysimi (Kaltenbach)), Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Pemphigus cynodonti Das, Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae (Linnaeus), Therioaphis trifolii (Monell), Toxoptera aurantii (Boyer de Fonscolombe). Cicadellidae: mpoasca kerri Singh-Pruthi, Hishimonus phycitis (Distant), Nephotettix virescens (Distant), Orosius albicinctus Distant, groundnut jassids. Coccoidea: Coccidohystrix insolita (Green), Diaspidiotus perniciosus (Comstock) (=Quadraspidiotus perniciosus (Comstock)), Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell), Phenacoccus sp., Pseudococcus cryptus Hempel (as P. citriculus Green), Pseudococcus saccharicola Takahashi, Pseudococcus sp., Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green), Melanaspis glomerata (Green), Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead), Trabutina (as Naiacoccus) sp. Delphacidae: Nilaparvata lugens (Stal), Sogatella furcifera (Horvath). Lophopidae: Pyrilla perpusilla (Walker), Pyrilla spp. Psyllidae: Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, Psylla isitis Cotes. LEPIDOPTERA: Crambidae: Chilo partellus (Swinhoe). Pyralidae: eggs of Scirpophaga excerptalis (Walker). Noctuidae: Earias vittella (Fabricius), E. insulana (Boisduval), early instar larvae of Helicoverpa armigera (Huebner). DIPTERA: Anthomyiidae: Atherigona soccata Rondani. ACARI: Tetranychidae: Oligonychus coffeae (Nietner) (as Tetranychus bioculatus Wood-Mason), Tetranychus urticae Koch (as T. neocaledonicus Andre).

Collected on sugarcane, maize, brinjal, rice, wheat, cotton, bhendi, cowpea, groundnut, sunflower, safflower, sesamum, coconut, pigeonpea, castor, sorghum, cabbage, indigo, peach, cumin, mustard, lucerne, tobacco, sandal, pongamia, crotalaria, rice bean, coriander, soyabean, bittergourd, Japanese mint, Citrus limon, Euryale ferox, Thevetia neriifolia, Triumphetta, Achyranthes spera, Tribulus terrestris, Abutilon indicum, Lathyrus sativus, and Sida spinosa.

It is active throughout the year, except extreme winter (Chandrababu et al., 1997). Abundant on brinjal mealybug infestations almost throughout the year (Puttarudriah & Channabasavanna, 1957). It can be mass produced in the laboratory on Ferrisia virgata on potato sprouts.

Homalotylus flaminius (Dalman) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae).