Scymnus quadrillum explained

Scymnus (Pullus) quadrillum, is a species of lady beetle found in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos, China, and Pakistan.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Description

The total length of an adult scymnus quadrillum is about 1.6 to 2.0 mm. The body appears glabrous and clothed with dense pubescence. The head is brownish black and the eyes are comparably large. The pronotum and the elytra are dark to blue and shiny. The scutellum is black. There are two reddish spots found on each elytron, and the ventrum is brownish black. The abdominal postcoxal process is bifurcated and the postcoxal line is complete.

Biology

It is a predator of wide range of whiteflies, mealybugs and aphids including: Aphis gossypii, Paracoccus marginatus and Pentalonia nigronervosa.^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

Notes and References

1. Ali M, Perveen R, Naqvi AU, Ahmed K, Raza G, Hussain I . The tribe Scymnini (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera) from Sindh Province, Pakistan . Journal of Insect Science . 15 . 146 . 2015 . 26454480 . 4664943 . 10.1093/jisesa/iev105 .
2. Scymnus quadrillum Motschulsky, 1858 . 2021-09-17 . www.gbif.org . en.
3. Janakiraman P, Booth RG . 2021-01-02 . Nomenclatural notes on three species of Scymnini (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from Ceylon . Oriental Insects . 55 . 56–68 . 10.1080/00305316.2020.1748134. 216248532 .
4. Saengyot S, Burikam I . Host plants and natural enemies of papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in Thailand. . Thai Journal of Agricultural Science . 2011 . 44 . 3 . 197–205 .
5. Agarwala BK, Ghosh AK . 1988-01-01 . Prey records of aphidophagous Coccinellidae in India. A review and bibliography . Tropical Pest Management . 34 . 1–14 . 10.1080/09670878809371196.
6. Padmalatha C, Singh AR . Aphidophagus coccinellids on Pentalonia nigronervosa, a vector of bunchy top virus in the banana plants of southwest India. . Tropical Ecology . 1998 . 39 . 2 . 239–42 .
7. Sarala Devi B . Studies on the feeding potential and food requirements of some aphidivorous insects . Ph.D. . Division of Entomology, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Vellayani .
8. Ketipearachchi Y . Predominant natural enemies of insect pests in agroecosystems at Aralaganwila in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. . SAARC Journal of Agriculture . 2005 . 263–76 .