Synonyms
Synia Mulsant, 1850: 375. TS: Synia melanaria Mulsant, 1850 (junior homonym).
Synona Pope, 1989: 660 (replacement name).
Diagnosis
Synona is easily distinguished from remaining Australian Coccinellini by its black elytra, distinctly arcuate clypeus, antennal scape flattened and arcuate exteriorly, postcoxal line on abdominal ventrite 1 not recurved with oblique dividing line and elytral epipleura with fossae to receive apices of femora.
Description
Length 4.8-6.9 mm. Elytra strongly convex; winged, glabrous. Elytra black. Head with anterior clypeal border deeply arcuate between lateral projections. Antenna 11-segmented; shorter than head capsule with compact 3-segmented club. Terminal maxillary palpomere securiform. Pronotal disc evenly convex transversely to narrowly upturned external borders. Prothoracic hypomeron with distinct fovea near anterior angles; prosternal process with distinct carinae extending anteriorly. Anterior margin of mesoventrite deply emarginate medially. Elytral margin with narrow raised and thickened margins; epipleuron distinctly foveate. Tibial spurs formula 0-2-2. Abdominal postcoxal line not recurved and incomplete laterally with 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 terminal, well developed, with apical setae; infundibulum a lightly sclerotised but clearly delimited piece of bursa; sperm duct indistinct. Spermatheca distinctly curved with cornu and basal ramus and nodulus; spermathecal accessory gland adjacent to sperm duct.
Distribution and Biology
This genus includes several cryptic and not yet well understood species that widely distributed in Oriental and Papuan regions with single species extending into northern Australia. Probably all species of this genus are preying upon nymphs of various Plataspidae (Hemiptera).
Genus References
Iablokoff-Khnzorian, S M. 1982. Les coccinelles. Coleoptères-Coccinellidae. Société nouvelle des editions Boubée, Paris. 568 pp.
Mulsant, M E. 1850. Species des Coléoptères Trimcres Sécuripalpes. Annales des Sciencies Physiques et Naturelles, d'Agriculture et d'Industrie, publiées par la Société nationale d'Agriculture, etc., de Lyon, Deuxicme Série, 2: xv + 1-1104 (part 1 pp. 1-450; part 2 pp. 451-1104).
Pope, R. D. 1989. A revision of the Australian Coccinellidae (Coleoptera). Part 1. Subfamily Coccinellinae. Invertebrate Taxonomy, 2 (1988): 663-735.
Slipinski, S.A. 2007. Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) their biology and classification. ABRS, Canberra. 286 pp.
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