Microcaria albolineata

Microcaria albolineata (Gyllenhal) (Figs 138, 139a, b) Coccinella albolineata Gyllenhal, in Scĥnherr, 1808: 158 (Type locality: East India). Calvia albolineata: Mulsant 1850: 146. Bothrocalvia albolineata: Crotch 1874: 143; Korschefsky 1932: 521; Poorani 2002a: 322; Ren et al. 2009: 176; Yu 2010: 61. Diagnosis. Length: 4.70–6.50 mm; width: 3.80–5.00 mm. Form (Figs 138a, 139a, b) broad oval, dorsum strongly convex (Fig. 138b), glabrous except head with sparse pubescence. Head (Fig. 138d) light brownish yellow to testaceous, eyes large with divergent inner margins. Pronotum yellowish-testaceous, with two oblique, oblong, irregularly shaped yellowish-brown spots in the middle, sometimes fused into a roughly M-shaped marking. Elytra dull brown, with pale yellow markings as follows: an elongate, cylindrical marking from basal margin to nearly 2/3 of the elytral length, adjacent to sutural line; a broader band at outer margin extending from humeral callus to nearly half the length of elytron and a narrow line starting from humeral callus and ending at elytral apex, with two brown islands, one at humeral callus and the other just before apex. Abdominal postcoxal line (Fig. 138c) incomplete. Male genitalia (Fig. 138f–i) and spermatheca (Fig. 138e) as illustrated. Distribution. India: Commonly collected in the northeastern region (Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, West Bengal); Nepal; Hong Kong; China; Taiwan; Japan; Prey/associated habitat. Associated with adelgids and aphids feeding on pine, spruce, and other coniferous trees; feeds on Cinara sp., Pineus sp. (label data). Predatory on Oracella acuta (Lobdell) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) (CABI 2021) and Eulachnus thunbergii Wilson infesting Pinus khasya (Devi 1989). Seasonal occurrence. Collected during January–February, April, June–July, August, and September (northeastern region). Shantibala & Singh (1991) reported this species from an altitude of 2000–2500 m from the northeastern region of India. Notes. It is common in the northeastern states of India. Rao & So (1967) briefly described it and illustrated the habitus. Devi (1989) and Wadhi & Parshad (1980) provided notes on its hosts and distribution. For more illustrations, see Ren et al. (2009) and Yu (2010).Published as part of POORANI, J., 2023, An illustrated guide to lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of the Indian Subcontinent. Part 1. Tribe Coccinellini, pp. 1-307 in Zootaxa 5332 (1) on page 196, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5332.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/826150