Scymnus nubilus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Coccinellidae
Genus: Scymnus
Species:
S. nubilus
Binomial name
Scymnus nubilus
Mulsant, 1850
Synonyms
  • Scymnus curtisii Mulsant, 1850
  • Scymnus stabilis Motschulsky, 1866
  • Scymnus lateralis Sicard, 1913

Scymnus (Scymnus) nubilus, is a species of lady beetle found in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, China, and Asia Minor.[1]

Description

Body length is 1.5 to 2.0 mm. Maximum body weight is about 1.5 mg.[2][3] Body small, elongate, and moderately convex. Body dark brown ventrally, and densely covered with fine, short, transparent, yellowish hairs. Head light brown to dark brown in color. Eyes are large and brown. Antennae small, and segmented. Pronotum dark brown, in which middle part is much darker and posterior, anterior margins are lighter reddish brown. Elytra mainly yellowish to reddish brown, and punctate. There is a dark brown to black sutural stripe from basal margin of elytra.[4][5]

Biology

Primarily an aphidophagous species, it is also a predator of several mealybugs and scale insects. The diet include: Aphis craccivora, Aphis fabae, Brevicoryne brassicae, Lipaphis erysimi, Myzus persicae, Aphis gossypii, Aphis spiraecola, Aphis frangulae, Cinara juniperi, Hyadaphis coriandri, Hysteroneura setariae, Rhopalosiphum maidis, Therioaphis trifolii, Macrosiphum granarium, Schizaphis graminum, Phenacoccus solenopsis, Ferrisia virgata, Drosicha mangiferae, Amrasca devastans, Amrasca biguttula, Bemisia tabaci, Tetranychus atlanticus, Toxoptera aurantii, Adelges joshii, Aonidiella auranti, Aonidiella citrina, Aonidiella orientalis, Aspidiotus destructor, Hemiberiesia latanias, Rhopalosiphum padi, Leucaspis coniferarum, Parlatoria, Pentalonia nigronervosa, Pinnaspis strachani, Quadraspidiotus perniciosus, Maconellicoccus hirsutus and Tecaspis.[1][6][7][8][9]

Host plants of the beetle include: mustard, lucerne, cabbage, cauliflower, potato, turnip, bottle gourd, brinjal, okra, wheat, cotton and rose.[1] Mating occurs about 4 to 5 days after emergence of the adult. Then oviposition followed after 6 days. Eggs are laid singly during an oviposition period of more than a month, where the female lays about 9 eggs each.[10] Larva produces a wax layer by dorsal epidermal cells, which is an effective defensive mechanism.[2][11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ali M, Ahmed K, Ali S, Raza G, Hussain I, Nafees MA, Anjum SI (2018-12-06). "An annotated checklist of Coccinellidae with four new records from Pakistan (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae)". ZooKeys (803): 93–120. doi:10.3897/zookeys.803.22543. PMC 6292984. PMID 30643484.
  2. 1 2 Pacheco P, Borges I, Branco B, Lucas E, Soares AO (May 2021). "Costs and Benefits of Wax Production in the Larvae of the Ladybeetle Scymnus nubilus". Insects. 12 (5): 458. doi:10.3390/insects12050458. PMC 8156663. PMID 34065731.
  3. ↑ Mayadunnage S, Wijayagunasekara HN, Hemachandra KS, Nugaliyadde L (2007). "Predatory Coccinellids (Coleoptera: Cocinellidae) of vegetable insect pests: a survey in mid country of Sri Lanka" (PDF). Tropical Agricultural Research. 19: 69–77.
  4. ↑ Ashfaque M, Ullah F, Rafi MA, Naz F (November 2015). "Taxonomic study of subfamily Scymninae (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) with one new record from Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan" (PDF). Turkish Journal of Zoology. 39 (6): 1034–40. doi:10.3906/zoo-1401-17.
  5. ↑ Ali M, Perveen R, Naqvi AU, Ahmed K, Raza G, Hussain I (2015). "The tribe Scymnini (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera) from Sindh Province, Pakistan". Journal of Insect Science. 15: 146. doi:10.1093/jisesa/iev105. PMC 4664943. PMID 26454480.
  6. ↑ Rosagro RM, Borges I, Vieira V, Solé GP, Soares AO (February 2020). "Evaluation of Scymnus nubilus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) as a biological control agent against Aphis spiraecola and Cinara juniperi (Hemiptera: Aphididae)". Pest Management Science. 76 (2): 818–826. doi:10.1002/ps.5585. PMID 31414715.
  7. ↑ Kumar MV, Chakraborty N (1997). "Biology of Scymnus nubilus Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), a native predator of pink mealy bug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green)(Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)". Journal of Entomological Research. 21 (4): 329–34.
  8. ↑ Borges I, Hemptinne JL, Soares AO (June 2013). "Contrasting population growth parameters of the aphidophagous Scymnus nubilus and the coccidophagous Nephus reunioni". BioControl. 58 (3): 351–7. doi:10.1007/s10526-012-9490-y. S2CID 17771318.
  9. ↑ Meseguer R, Borges I, Vieira V, Pons G, Soares AO (September 2018). "Ecosystem services provided by the native predator Scymnus nubilus Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) against aphids on forestry nurseries. Ponta Delgadam" (PDF). Benefits and Risks of Exotic Biological Control Agents IOBC-WPRS Bulletin. Azores (Portugal). 145: 62–3.
  10. ↑ Johnson J (1972). "Biology of Scymnus nubilus Muls.(Coccinellidae: Coleoptera) an insect predator". Agricultural Research Journal of Kerala. 10 (2): 183–5.
  11. ↑ Pacheco PA (19 January 2012). Cost and benefits of the morphological defences in larvae of Scymnus nubilus Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) (Ph.D. thesis). Universidade dos Açores.


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