Chilocorus orbus

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Chilocorus orbus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Coccinellidae
Genus: Chilocorus
Species:
C. orbus
Binomial name
Chilocorus orbus
Casey, 1899

Chilocorus orbus is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae. [1] [2] [3] [4] It is native to North America. [1] It is a black, domed beetle with two large red spots and is commonly called the twice-stabbed lady beetle [5] or the two-stabbed lady beetle. [6] Both adults and larvae feed on scale insects.

Contents

Description

The adult Chilocorus orbus is a dome-shaped beetle some 3 to 5 mm (0.12 to 0.20 in) long with club-shaped antennae. The shiny black elytra bear two oval red patches and the ventral surface of the beetle is reddish. There are other species of black-with-red-spots lady beetle with which this insect might be confused, these being Axion plagiatum , Chilocorus kuwanae , and Olla v-nigrum , however in Chilocorus orbus, the red patches are nearer the head than they are in the other species. The larvae resemble miniature alligators, have long legs and are grey or blackish; they have elongated bodies covered with branching spines. [5] The pupae are also blackish and spiny, but are broader and shorter than the larvae. [7]

Distribution and habitat

Chilocorus orbus is one of about a dozen species of Chilocorus that occur in North America. It is predominantly found in the western states of Washington, Oregon and California, being replaced in other areas of the United States by other, closely-related species. It is a mostly arboreal insect, found in forests, plantations, orchards and gardens, wherever there are scale insects on which to feed. [7]

Ecology

Both adults and larvae feed voraciously on scale insects on fruit trees, as well as on nut trees and ornamentals. The scales attacked include brown soft scale (Coccus hesperidum) on citrus, walnut scale (Quadraspidiotus juglansregiae), sycamore scale (Stomacoccus platani), California red scale (Aonidiella aurantii), San Jose scale (Quadraspidiotus perniciosus) and European fruit lecanium (Parthenolecanium corni). [5] The young larvae puncture the scale insects and suck out their juices, venturing under the horny part of the scale to do so, while older larvae and adults chew the scales up and completely consume them. [5]

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Chilocorus stigma, commonly known as the twice-stabbed ladybug, is a native resident of the United States and Canada but does not live west of the Sierra Nevada.. It also has been introduced to Hawaii. It is shiny black, and there is one red spot on each elytron. The remainder of the body is black as well, but the abdomen is either yellow or red. It is sometimes confused with the "two-stabbed lady beetle", Chilocorus orbus, which is widespread in California.

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Olla v-nigrum is a species in the family Coccinellidae, in the suborder Polyphaga. The species is known generally as the ashy gray lady beetle. The distribution range of Olla v-nigrum includes Central America, North America, and Oceania. It is usually gray or pale tan with small black spots on its elytra and thorax. However, a variation can resemble Chilocorus orbus. This form is black with two red spots on the wing covers and has white on the edge of the prothorax.

Hemiberlesia lataniae, the latania or palm scale, is a species of armored scale insect in the family Diaspididae. It was first described by the French entomologist Victor Antoine Signoret in 1869 using Latania lontaroides, a species of palm tree endemic to Réunion as its host; since then, it has been found on avocado trees growing in South Africa, Australia, Israel, the United States, and on a range of other plants in many parts of the world.

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<i>Chelymorpha cassidea</i> Species of beetle

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<i>Chilocorus cacti</i> Species of beetle

Chilocorus cacti, known generally as the cactus lady beetle or the twice-stabbed cactus lady beetle, is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is native to the Caribbean region, North America, Central America, and South America. The adults and larvae feed on scale insects and attempts have been made to use it for biological pest control.

Cryptognatha nodiceps, known generally as the coconut scale predator or sugarcane scale predator, is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae; it is found in the Caribbean region, North America, and Oceania, having been introduced to various countries in an attempt to provide biological pest control of the coconut scale.

<i>Quadraspidiotus juglansregiae</i> Species of scale insect

Quadraspidiotus juglansregiae, commonly known as the walnut scale, is a species of armoured scale insect in the family Diaspididae. It is native to North America where it feeds on a wide range of ornamental and forest trees and bushes.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Chilocorus orbus Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  2. "Chilocorus orbus species details". Catalogue of Life. Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  3. "Chilocorus orbus". GBIF. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  4. "Chilocorus orbus Species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Chilocorus orbus". Pest Management and Identification. Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  6. "Dirt Doctor - Library Topics". www.dirtdoctor.com. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  7. 1 2 "Genus Chilocorus - Twice-stabbed Lady Beetles". BugGuide. Retrieved 19 October 2020.

Further reading