Nomenclature

Coccinella circumdatus Gyllenhal, in Sch�nherr, 1808: 152.

Chilocorus circumdatus: Mulsant, 1850: 454.-Crotch, 1874: 186.-Korschefsky, 1932: 242.

 Diagnosis

Length 4.50-5.10 mm, width 4.10-4.70mm. Form  circular, hemispherical, strongly convex. Dorsum uniformly orange yellow to ochre, lateral margins of elytra with a narrow black border. Ventral side uniformly orange yellow. Life stages as illustrated. 

Distribution

India: Assam; Himachal Pradesh; Jammu & Kashmir; Karnataka; Kerala; Tamil Nadu; Uttar Pradesh; West Bengal. Sri Lanka. Nepal. Indonesia. Introduced and established in Australia (Houston, 1991), China (Hong Kong) (Swezey, 1925), Hawaii (Timberlake, 1943), Israel (Ofek et al., 1997), Cyprus, South Africa, Bermuda, and Florida, USA(?) (CABI, 2003).

Prey/associated habitat

HOMOPTERA: Coccoidea: Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell), Aonidiella orientalis (Newstead), Aspidiotus destructor Signoret, Aspidiotus nerii Bouch�, Aulacaspis rosarum Borchsenius, Chrysomphalus aonidum (Linnaeus) (=C. ficus Ashmead), Coccus viridis (Green), Lepidosaphes beckii (Newman), Lepidosaphes gloverii (Packard), Lepidosaphes piperis (Green), Parlatoria pergandii Comstock, Pinnaspis aspidistrae (Signoret), Pinnaspis buxi (Bouch�), Pinnaspis dysoxyli (Maskell) (as Hemichionaspis minor Maskell), Pseudaulacaspis pentagona (Targioni Tozzetti), Rutherfordia major (Cockerell), Saissetia coffeae (Walker), and Unaspis citri (Comstock). Frequently associated with scale insects infesting tea, coffee, pepper, and other plantation crops, mulberry, and citrus. More common in cooler climates and plantations at high altitudes than in plains.

Seasonal occurrence

Collected during July-August, September-October, December-January.

References

• Das, S.C., Borthakur, M. & Gope, B. 1988. Bio-ecological studies on Chilocorus circumdatus Sch., an efficient predator of black scale, Chrysomphalus aonidum Ashm. Two and a Bud, 35, 15-18.

• Houston, K.J. 1991. Chilocorus circumdatus Gyllenhal newly established in Australia and additional records for Coccinella undecimpunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society, 30, 341-342.

• Nagaraja, H. & Hussainy, S.U. 1967. A study of six species of Chilocorus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) predaceous on San Jose and other scale insects. Oriental Insects 1: 249-256.

• Ofek, G., Huberman, G., Yzhar, Y., Wysoki, M., Kuzlitzky, W., Reneh, S. and Inbal, Z. 1997. The control of the Oriental red scale, Aonidiella orientalis Newstead and the California red scale, A. aurantii (Maskell) (Homoptera: Diaspididae) in mango orchards in Hevel Habsor (Israel). Alon Hanotea 51: 212-218.

• Pang, X.F. & Mao, J.L. 1979. Coleoptera: Coccinellidae, II. Khongguo Jingi Kunchang Zhi 14: 1-170.

• Stebbing, E.P. 1903. Coleoptera 2. Notes upon the known predaceous Coccinellidae of the Indian region, Part I. Indian Museum Notes VI(1): 47-62.

• Swezey, O.H. 1925. Records of introduction of beneficial insects into the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiian Planters' Record 29(4): 369-376.