Serangiini

Citrus whitefly ladybird Serangium maculigerum, copyright Tim Holmes.

Belongs within: Coccinellidae.

The Serangiini are a pantropical group of minute ladybird beetles that are predatory on whiteflies (Aleyrodidae) (Ślipiński 2007).

Characters (from Ślipiński 2007): Body minute, 0.8–3.5 mm, hemispherical with head in repose withdrawn into prothorax and deflexed, ventrally fitting closely against the prominent prosternal lobe. Clypeus deeply emarginate around exposed antennal insertions; ventral side with antennal groove accomodating scape and pedicel along inner margin of eye. Maxillary palps geniculate with terminal palpomere always longer than wide, conical or barrel-shaped; labial palps slender, narrowly separated at base, inserted on distal end of prementum. Antenna eight- or nine-segmented with large, flattened, one-segmented club. Pronotum without distinct line separating anterior corners from pronotal disc. Prosternum strongly prominent, medially forming broad lobe concealing mouthparts from below, deeply notched laterally to accomodate antennal club; prosternal process rounded apically, triangular, broadly and completely separating procoxae. Elytral epipleuron with clearly delimited cavities receiving apices of mid and hind femora. Abdomen with five ventrites; ventrite 1 and 5 much longer than 2–4; hind margin of terminal ventrite sometimes finely crenulate. Abdominal postcoxal line incomplete but reaching lateral margin of ventrite, without associated pits or pores. Tarsus three- or four-segmented. Male genitalia with tegmen strongly asymmetrical, parameres distinctly reduced, fused with penis guide bearing sparse setae apically. Female genitalia with ovipositor triangular elongate, lightly sclerotised usually bearing short styli; spermatheca small and well sclerotised. Larva: Length 2–4 mm; body fusiform; cuticle of thorax and abdomen finely and densely granulate and pubescent. Head weakly transverse with frontal arms joined at base, lyriform, strongly divergent anteriorly; epicranial stem absent; median endocarina absent. Antenna composed of three sclerotised segments; segment 3 as long as 2. Mandible simple, triangular with single apex and blunt non-projected molar area. Maxillary mala slender, distinctly narrowing apically (almost falcate). Maxillary palps three-segmented, much longer than mala; labial palps two-segmented. Thoracic tergites with transverse warts. Legs short and slender; apex of tibiotarsus with pair of flattened and frayed setae; claw with distinct basal tooth. Abdomen without defence gland openings, with single setae only. Pupa without urogomphi.

<==Serangiini S07
    |--Delphastus pusillus S07, LS96
    `--Serangium Blackburn 1889 [incl. Catana Chapin 1940, Semichnoodes Weise 1892] S07
         |--*S. mysticum Blackburn 1889 [incl. S. hirtuosum Blackburn 1892, S. maestum Lea 1902, S. nigrum Lea 1902] S07
         |--S. bellum Ślipiński & Burckhardt 2006 S07
         |--‘*Catana’ clauseni Chapin 1940 S07
         |--S. coxale Weise 1923 S07
         |--S. glorious Ślipiński & Burckhardt 2006 S07
         |--S. howdenorum Ślipiński & Burckhardt 2006 S07
         |--‘*Semichnoodes’ kunowi Weise 1892 S07
         |--S. maculigerum Blackburn 1892 [incl. S. bicolor Blackburn 1895] S07
         |--S. magnum Ślipiński & Burckhardt 2006 S07
         |--S. microscopicum Lea 1902 S07
         |--S. monteithi Ślipiński & Burckhardt 2006 S07
         |--S. nitidum Ślipiński & Burckhardt 2006 S07
         |--S. sculptum Ślipiński & Burckhardt 2006 S07
         `--S. yam Ślipiński & Burckhardt 2006 S07

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[LS96] Liu, T.-X., & P. A. Stansly. 1996. Morphology of Nephaspis oculatus and Delphastus pusillus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), predators of Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 98 (2): 292–300.

[S07] Ślipiński, A. 2007. Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): Their biology and classification. Australian Biological Resources Study: Canberra.