Anthia sexguttata explained

Anthia sexguttata, referred to commonly as the six-spot ground beetle, is a beetle of the Family Carabidae.

Appearance

Adults measure approximately 4 cm (1.5 inches), are black with six relatively large, white, dorsal spots (four over the elytra and two on the thorax). Other patterns are possible although the pattern is always symmetrical.

The larva has a flattened form, a large head capsule, and prominent mandibles.^[1]

Distribution

The species occurs in the drier parts of South Asia. It is found in a variety of habitats including natural forests and dry scrubland. The species was found in a variety of human-modified habitats including agriculture fields and urban parks.^[2]

Diet

Adult A. sexguttata feed on other insects and snails.^[3] They are also predators on defoliating pests of Tectona grandis, such as Pyrausta machaeralis and Hyblaea puera.^[4] It is also an important predator on beetle pests of sugarcane crops.^[5]

Ecology

A. sexguttata are well known predators of a number of pests of commercially important trees including Tectona grandis.

The compound eyes of A. sexguttata exhibit sensitivity changes in a clear circadian rhythm, with both eyes being coupled when in total darkness.^[6]

The mite Regenpolipus madrasensis is described from A. sexguttata.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Gardner, J. C. M. (1939) The Larva Of Anthia Sexguttata(Fab.) (Coleopt. Carabidae). Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London B 8(2):18–20
2. Naidu . Bhumika . Kumar . Dolly . 2023 . A pilot survey on diversity and ecology of beetles across a habitat gradient from urban to agricultural ecosystem in Vadodara district (Gujarat), India: a comparative account . Journal of Applied Entomologist . en . 3 . 2 . 33–46 . 2583-1917.
3. Mathur, P. N. and Khattar, Narain (1958) Morphology of the head capsule and mouth parts of Anthia sexguttata Ho. (Coleoptera, Adephaga, Carabidae, Harpalinae, Anthiini). Suppl. Proc. Indian Academy of Sciences. B 50:1–25 PDF
4. Misra . R. M. . 1976 . Note on Anthia sexguttata Fabricius (Carabidae: Coleoptera), a new predator of Pyrausta machaeralis Walker and Hyblaea puera Cramer . Indian Forester . 101 . 10 . 65.
5. Srikanth . J. . Easwaramoorthy . S. . Jalali . S. K. . 2016 . A 100 years of biological control of sugarcane pests in India: review and perspective. . CABI Reviews . en . 1–32 . 10.1079/PAVSNNR201611013 . 1749-8848.
6. Fleissner . Günther . 1982 . Isolation of an insect circadian clock . Journal of Comparative Physiology . en . 149 . 3 . 311–316 . 10.1007/BF00619146 . 1432-1351.
7. Husband . Robert W. . Ramaraju . K. . 2006 . A new species of Regenpolipus (Acari: Podapolipidae) from Anthia sexguttata (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Southern India and a pictorial key to genera of world podapolipidae from carabidae . International Journal of Acarology . en . 32 . 2 . 153–161 . 10.1080/01647950608684454 . 2006IJAca..32..153H . 0164-7954.