Synonyms
Idalia Mulsant, 1846: 44. TS: Coccinella bipunctata Linnaeus, 1758 (junior homonym).
Adalia Mulsant, 1846: addenda et errata (replacement name).
Diagnosis
Adalia is easily distinguished from other genera of Australian Coccinellini by its recurved and almost complete abdominal postcoxal line and the straight anterior margin of the mesoventrite.
Description
Length 3.3-5.6 mm. Body slightly convex; winged, glabrous. Elytral colour pattern, constant, red with black spot on each. Head with anterior clypeal border straight between lateral projections. Antenna 11-segmented; about as long as head capsule with compact 3-segmented club. Terminal maxillary palpomere securiform. Pronotal disc evenly convex transversely; lateral margins narrowly upturned externally. Prothoracic hypomeron without foveae; prosternal process without carinae. Anterior margin of mesoventrite arcuate emarginate medially, entirely bordered. Elytral margin with distinct bead; epipleuron shallowly foveate at level of mid- and hind femora. Tibial spurs formula 0-2-2. Abdominal postcoxal line recurved and almost complete without oblique additional line. Male terminalia. Parameres and phallobase symmetrical; penis guide symmetrical. Parameres articulated with phallobase. Penis stout, consisting of single sclerite; basal capsule distinct and T-shaped. Apodeme of male sternum 9 very narrow and rod-like. Female terminalia. Coxities club-handle like; styli strongly reduced and hardly visible; infundibulum tube-like, enclosing the sperm duct; sperm duct simple, uniform in diameter. Spermatheca distinctly curved with cornu and basal ramus and nodulus; spermathecal accessory gland adjacent to sperm duct.
Distribution and Biology
Six species are currently recognised from the Holarctic (Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1982). A. bipunctata has been introduced to South America and Australia. A single Australian representative occurs in Tasmania and Western Australia (no material collected recently and occurrence needs further confirmation) and is the result of a deliberate introduction (Pope 1989). Most of the Adalia species are aphidiophagous but also recorded as predators of Coccids, Psyllids or Thrips
Genus References
Mulsant, M E. 1846. Histoire Naturelle des Coléoptères de France. Sulcicolles-Sécuripalpes. Maison, Paris. xxiv + 26 pp. + 280 pp. + 1 pl. pp.
Iablokoff-Khnzorian, S.M. 1982. Les coccinelles. Coleoptères-Coccinellidae. Société nouvelle des editions Boubée, Paris. 568 pp.
Pope, R.D. 1989. A revision of the Australian Coccinellidae (Coleoptera). Part 1. Subfamily Coccinellinae. Invertebrate Taxonomy, 2[1988]: 633-735.
Slipinski, S.A. 2007. Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) their biology and classification. ABRS, Canberra. 286 pp.
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