Megalocaria dilatata (Fabricius) (=Caria dilatata, Anisolemnia dilatata)

This species was transferred to Megalocaria by Iablokoff-Khnzorian (1982), but the name Anisolemnia dilatata is more widely known and used in the literature.

Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccinellinae: Coccinellini

Length 10.0-12.5 mm, width 9.0-10.0 mm. Form round, hemispherical and strongly convex. Ground colour bright reddish/orange yellow with black markings as follows: head (Fig. 1) with a transverse basal marking and a pair of elongate, oblique spots on either side of lower margin of eyes, two oval spots (one on either side above scutellum) on posterior margin of pronotum and ten black spots on elytra arranged in a 1-2-2 pattern. Scutellum black. Ventral side uniformly reddish or yellowish brown. Elytra slightly asymmetrical, with one elytron slightly longer than the other. Postcoxal line on abdominal ventrite 1 incomplete (Fig. 3). Male genitalia (Figs. 5-6) and female spermatheca (Fig. 4) as illustrated. Larva bluish grey and orange, with a thin powdery dust on dorsal side.


Figs.1-6. Megalocaria dilatata (Fabricius): 1. Head; 2. Antenna; 3. Postcoxal line on abdominal ventrite 1; 4. Female spermatheca; 5-6. Male genitalia: 5. Tegmen, ventral view; 6. Sipho.

           Adult
 Eggs on bamboo
     Larva of A. dilatata

India: Assam; Himachal Pradesh; Karnataka; Kerala; Tamil Nadu; Uttar Pradesh; northeastern region. Nepal.

HEMIPTERA: Aphidoidea: Adelges spp. on silver fir, Aphis nasturtii Kaltenbach, Astegopteryx (as Oregma) bambusae (Buckton), Astegopteryx minuta (van der Goot), Ceratovacuna (as Oregma) lanigera Zehntner, Ceratovacuna silvestrii (Takahashi), Cervaphis schouteniae van der Goot, Greenideoida ceyloniae van der Goot, Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel, Pseudoregma (as Oregma) bambusicola (Takahashi), Pseudoregma bucktoni Ghosh et al., Pyrolachnus (as Lachnus) pyri (Buckton) on pear, Toxoptera aurantii (Boyer de Fonscolombe). Collected on sandal.

 Astegopteryx bambusae on bamboo, preferred prey of A. dilatata

Usually found along with Synonycha grandis (Thunberg) on aphids infesting bamboo (Bambusa arundinacea), but less abundant. It is more commonly found feeding on the bamboo leaf aphid (A. bambusae). Its seasonal occurrence, feeding habits and life history in general, closely resemble those of S. grandis (Puttarudriah & Channabasavanna, 1953). It survives and reproduces on aphids infesting cowpea, groundnut, cotton, pea, rose, jack, brinjal, cabbage, radish, citrus, sorghum, etc. in the laboratory, but apparently bamboo aphids are essential/preferred food.

Particularly abundant on bamboo during July-December in and around Bangalore (Puttarudriah & Channabasavanna, 1953), and January-February in northeastern region (Agarwala et al., 1984). Collected during March, June-July, and September-November in South India.