Fungus-eating Ladybird | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Family: | |
Subfamily: | |
Tribe: | |
Genus: | |
Species: | I. galbula |
Binomial name | |
Illeis galbula (Mulsant, 1850) | |
Synonyms | |
The Fungus-eating Ladybird (Illeis galbula) is a species of beetle in the family Coccinellidae. Adults are 4-5mm in size, while the larvae are between 8 and 10mm. [2] Adults are black with bright yellow markings. [3] Larvae are grey with black tubercles covered with short spines. [3] The pupa is pale yellow with black tubercles and lateral spurs. [3]
During the day it is fast moving and readily flies or drops when disturbed. [2] The pupa are active and often stand on end. [2] Adult and larval fungus-eating ladybirds are often found in gardens where they eat powdery mildew on cucurbit crops like pumpkin and zucchini. [4] In Australia, overwintering adults feed on pollen of wattles and privet species during spring. [3]
This species is native to Eastern Australia. [3] Fungus-eating ladybirds are a non-native species in the North Island of New Zealand, first introduced to Auckland in 1985. [3] They are also found in New Guinea. [3]
The cinnabar moth is a brightly coloured arctiid moth found as a native species in Europe and western and central Asia then east across the Palearctic to Siberia to China. It has been introduced into New Zealand, Australia and North America to control ragwort, on which its larvae feed. The moth is named after the red mineral cinnabar because of the red patches on its predominantly black wings. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Cinnabar moths are about 20 mm (0.79 in) long and have a wingspan of 32–42 mm (1.3–1.7 in).
The New Zealand red admiral is a butterfly endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name is kahukura, which means "red cloak". The red admiral is a member of the family Nymphalidae, the subfamily Nymphalinae and the tribe Nymphalini. There are two subspecies: V. g. gonerilla, which occurs on the mainland of New Zealand, and V. g. ida, which occurs on the Chatham Islands.
Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata, the 22-spot ladybird, is a common, 3–5 mm long ladybird native to Europe. The elytra are yellow in colour with 22 black spots. The pronotum is yellow or white with 5 black spots. Unlike most other ladybirds which feed on aphids, P. 22-punctata eats mildew — especially from umbellifers and low-growing shrubs . The 22-spot ladybird is best looked for amongst low vegetation.
Coccinellidae is a widespread family of small beetles. They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in the United Kingdom; "lady" refers to mother Mary. Entomologists use the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles to avoid confusion with true bugs. The more than 6,000 described species have a global distribution and are found in a variety of habitats. They are oval beetles with a domed back and flat underside. They are sexually dimorphic; adult females are larger than males. Many of the species have conspicuous aposematic (warning) colours and patterns, such as red with black spots, that warn potential predators that they taste bad.
Papilio anactus, the dainty swallowtail, dingy swallowtail or small citrus butterfly is a medium-sized butterfly from the family Papilionidae, that is endemic to Australia.
Halmus chalybeus, commonly known as the Steelblue ladybird is a species of ladybird native to Australia. It has a rounded appearance with an iridescent blue/green colouration and is a predator of other insects. It was introduced to New Zealand from Australia in 1899 and 1905 to control black scale and blue gum scale on citrus trees, where it is now common in northern regions. It has also been recorded eating San Jose scale. They are about 3–4 mm long.
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, common name mealybug ladybird or mealybug destroyer, is a species of ladybird beetle native to eastern Australia. The beetle feeds on mealybugs and other scale insects, and is used to control those pests on citrus orchards worldwide.
Harmonia conformis, the large spotted ladybird, is a species of ladybird. It has a light reddish appearance and its colouration includes 20 large black spots, 18 of which are found on the elytra. They are quite large for ladybirds, being about 6–7 mm long. It is a predator of other insects, eating aphids as both a larva and imago (adult). It is found in Australia, and has been introduced to New Zealand, where it is common in northern regions. Another member of the same genus, Harmonia antipodum, also occurs in New Zealand. This species, however, is a native and is much smaller and harder to find.
Coccinella leonina, common name orange-spotted ladybird, is a species of ladybird native to New Zealand. It is black with orange spots. A predator species, it is present in a variety of habitats.
Philocryptica is a monotypic genus of moths belonging to the subfamily Tortricinae of the family Tortricidae. It contains only one species, Philocryptica polypodii, the leather-leaf star-miner, which is endemic to New Zealand. This species has been recorded in both the North Island and the South Island, as far south as Banks Peninsula. The preferred habitat of this species is native forest where the species' larval host is present. The larvae feed on Pyrrosia eleagnifolia, mining the host plant leaves. P. polypodii pupates within the final blotch-mine. Adults are on the wing in November and December.
Nyctemera annulata, the magpie moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1832. It is endemic to New Zealand and found in all parts of the country.
Erechthias flavistriata, the sugarcane bud moth, is a moth of the family Tineidae. It was described by Lord Walsingham in 1907 from Hawaii, but is probably an introduced species. It is found in large parts of the Pacific Rim including the Marquesas, Rapa Iti, Fiji, the New Hebrides, the Kermadec Islands, the Solomons, Java and Malaya. It has been spread widely by man and probably has travelled to many islands throughout much of the Pacific in the canoes of the native peoples.
Vibidia duodecimguttata is a species of ladybird beetle belonging to the family Coccinellidae, subfamily Coccinellinae.
Archichauliodes diversus is an insect in the subfamily Chauliodinae - the fishflies, though it is often referred to as the New Zealand dobsonfly, despite not being a true dobsonfly. In its larval form it is commonly known by the name toe-biter, and its Māori name is puene. The species is native to New Zealand. Although there are many other species of fishfly in other parts of the world, Archichauliodes diversus is the only species of fishfly in New Zealand.
Costelytra giveni, commonly known as New Zealand grass grub, is a scarab beetle that is endemic to New Zealand and is a prevalent pasture pest.
Psyllobora vigintimaculata, the twenty-spotted lady beetle, is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is found in North America.
The lemon tree borer, also known as the whistling beetle or the singing beetle, is a longhorn beetle endemic to New Zealand. Its larvae are generalist feeders, boring into the wood of a wide variety of trees, native and introduced. When citrus orchards were first established in New Zealand, this beetle started inflicting serious damage, and so gained the name "lemon tree borer". Four species within the genus Oemona have been identified, suggesting that more species could be found. When disturbed by predators or humans, the adult beetle stridulates creating a "rasp" or "squeak" sound by rubbing its thorax and head together against an area of thin ridges. Māori would eat a liquid called "pia manuka", which was produced by manuka trees when its wood was damaged by the larvae. When Captain Cook first arrived in NZ, his naturalists, Banks and Solander, collected a lemon tree borer in their first collection between 1769 and 1771. This oldest collected specimen can be found in the British Museum. A few years after the first collection, the species would be first described by the Danish naturalist Fabricius in 1775.
Illeis cincta, is a species of lady beetle native to India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
Illeis (Hibachi) bistigmosa, is a species of lady beetle native to India, and Sri Lanka.
Orchamoplatus citri, commonly known as the Australian citrus whitefly, is a whitefly species in the genus Orchamoplatus. It is found across Australia and New Zealand, primarily foraging on the leaves of citrus trees.