Coccinella marussii Kapur 1973

Coccinella marussii Kapur, 1973 Coccinella marussii Kapur, 1973: 374; Poorani (2002): 326; Kovář (2005): 132; Poorani (2023): 82. Materials Type status: Other material. Occurrence: individualCount: 7; sex: 3 males, 4 females; occurrenceID: 39E28467-F793-5EEB-AB98-AA1015BA1340; Taxon: scientificName: Coccinella marussii; order: Coleoptera; family: Coccinellidae; scientificNameAuthorship: Kapur, 1973; Location: country: Pakistan; stateProvince: Gilgit-Baltistan; locality: Ghizer, Phandar (Langhar); verbatimElevation: 3551 m; decimalLatitude: 36.04033; decimalLongitude: 72.63111; Event: year: 2017; month: 6; day: 30; Record Level: institutionCode: PMAS-AAUR Description Body (Fig. 3 A) oval and slightly convex, dorsally glabrous; head almost black with triangular pale-yellow spots on each side of frons close to eyes, but not touching eye margin; mouthparts and antennae black or dark-brown; pronotum black with pale yellow quadrangular marking at anterior corners; scutellar shield black; each elytron in nominative form yellow-orange, with five black spots on each elytron, in examined specimens, three antero-lateral spots (humeral, lateral, middle) merged, forming L-shape in anterior portion of elytron; apical spot large sub-oval; scutellar macula large, subcordate; elytral suture with the broad black band; ventral side and legs black, except prothoracic hypomeron pale yellow; elytral epipleura yellow-orange; abdominal postcoxal lines (Fig. 3 B) laterally incomplete, descending and expanding to posterior margin of ventrite 1, with oblique dividing line distinct, touching or close to the apex of postcoxal line. Male genitalia can be seen in Fig. 3 C-F. Measurements TL: 5.23–5.64 mm; TW: 3.89–4.09 mm; HW: 1.35–1.43 mm; TH: 1.95–2.34 mm; EL / TW: 1.05; TL / TW: 1.35–1.38; PL / PW: 0.54–0.57. Diagnosis This species is similar to C. luteopicta and C. transversalis in external appearance, but it can be distinguished by the apex of the penis guide with a small hastate in the inner view (Fig. 3 E) and tongue-shaped apex in the lateral view (Fig. 3 F). Distribution Pakistan: Gilgit-Baltistan (Kovář 2005, current study); – India (Kashmir) (Kapur 1973, Kovář 2005), Turkey (Fürsch 1981). Ecology Prey. In the present study, C. marussii predates on Macrosiphum sp. (Hemiptera, Aphididae). Associated Plants. This species was collected from Rosa webbiana Wallich ex Royle (Rosales) and Ribes sp. (Saxifragales, Grossulariaceae) (current study). Notes This is a rare species in the family Coccinellidae with limited distribution (Kapur 1973, Kovář 2005). See Kovář (2005) for a detailed description and illustration. Poorani (2023) also described and illustrated it from India.