Pharoscymnus flexibilis (Mulsant) (=Neojauravia naeida Gordon & Almeida)

Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Sticholotidinae: Sticholotidini

Length 1.80-2.20 mm, width 1.40-1.85 mm. Form (Figs. 1a-k) broad oval, moderately convex. Head and pronotum reddish or yellowish brown. Elytra reddish or pale yellowish brown with four or five black spots, which are fused (Figs. 1g-k), reduced (the minimum being two) or obsolete (Fig. 1b, c, d). The subspecies Pharoscymnus flexibilis kashmirensis Kapur (1956) is more heavily pigmented and larger in size than the nominal species (Fig. 1e). Form found in south India pale golden yellowish brown with dark pitchy brown elytral spots, arranged in a 2-1-2-4 pattern (Fig. 1a) or much reduced in size and number or completely absent. Ventral side yellowish brown except pro-, meso-, and metasterna and first abdominal segment dark pitchy brown. Male genitalia (Figs. 2, 3) as illustrated.


Figs. 1-3. Pharoscymnus flexibilis: 1a-k. Elytral pattern variations; 2-3. Male genitalia: 2. Tegmen, ventral view; 3. Sipho.

 Pharoscymnus flexibilis - Dorsal habitus of adult

India: Widely distributed in northwestern Indian states. Rarely collected in peninsular India (Andhra Pradesh; Himachal Pradesh; Jammu & Kashmir; Karnataka; New Delhi; Rajasthan; Tamil Nadu; Uttar Pradesh). Nepal. Pakistan. Apparently accidentally introduced in Brazil.

It is mainly predatory on Coccoidea and to some extent on other homopterous insects such as whiteflies and aphids. Kazmi and Ghani (1964) recorded the adults as feeding on mites.

HEMIPTERA: Aleyrodidae: Indeterminate whiteflies. Aphididae: Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann). Coccoidea: Aonidiella citrina (Coquerel), Aonidiella orientalis (Newstead), Aspidiotus destructor Signoret, Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead, Chrysomphalus ficus (Ashmead), Chrysomphalus aonidum (Linnaeus), Coccus hesperidum Linnaeus, Cryptoparlatoreopsis sp., Diaspidiotus perniciosus (Comstock), Hemiberlesia lataniae (Signoret), Hsuia sp., Lepidosaphes ?conchiformis (Gmelin), Leucaspis coniferarum Hall & Williams, Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead) (as N. vastator (Maskell)), Odonaspis penicillata Green, Parasaissetia (as Saissetia) nigra (Nietner), Parlatoria blanchardi (Targioni Tozzetti), Parlatoria crypta McKenzie, Parlatoria ghanii Hall & Williams, Parlatoria oleae (Colvee), Pinnaspis strachani (Cooley), Phoenicococcus marlatti Cockerell, Pseudaulacaspis sp., Pulvinaria (as Chloropulvinaria) polygonata Cockerell, Rastrococcus iceryoides (Green), Rastrococcus spinosus (Robinson), Salicicola kermanensis (Lindinger), Tecaspis sp., Temnaspidiotus sinensis Ferris, Trabutina (as Naiacoccus) sp. ACARI: Tenuipalpidae: Cenopalpus pulcher (Canestrini & Fanzago). Tetranychidae: Eutetranychus orientalis (Klein), Tetranychus turkestani atlanticus McGregor.

Collected in association with scales on temperate fruits such as apple, peach, and pear, citrus, mango, Salix sp., date palm, Zizyphus mauritiana, Melia azedarach, Pinus longifolia, Pinus roxburghii, Dendrocalamus strictus, Bambusa vulgaris, Olea cuspidata, castor, coconut, Ficus palmata, Eugenia cumini, etc.

Active during April-May and July-October in northwestern India and Pakistan. Hibernation takes place in the adult stage (Kapur, 1956).