Allelic frequencies and inheritance of colour pattern in coelophora inaequalis (F.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Crosses were made between colour forms of Coelophora inaequalis from the Brisbane and Sydney- Newcastle areas, including two new forms ('yellow' and 'heavy'). The following alleles were involved in these crosses: 'nine-spotted', 'elongated stripe', 'normal', 'fused' (- 'standard'), 'zig-zag', 'black', 'yellow' and 'heavy'. All possible heterozygotes not previously described were obtained and figured. All the colour patterns produced by these alleles followed the rule of mosaic dominance. There is little difference in frequencies of the above alleles between populations in Brisbane and Mareeba (north Queensland), but the composition of the Sydney-Newcastle population is distinctly different. An examination of some major insect collections provided further information on the distribution of these alleles in Queensland and New South Wales.