24-spot ladybird | |
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24-spot ladybird | |
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Adult - form without spots | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
Superfamily: | Coccinelloidea |
Family: | Coccinellidae |
Subfamily: | Epilachninae |
Genus: | Subcoccinella Guérin-Méneville, 1844 |
Species: | S. vigintiquatuorpunctata |
Binomial name | |
Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata | |
Synonyms | |
Coccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata Contents |
Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata (the 24-spot ladybird) is a beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is the only member of the genus Subcoccinella (though this is disputed; see below). It has the typical, almost semi-spherical, ladybird shape and is patterned with spots. However it differs from many of the well-known ladybirds in being neither smooth and shiny nor an eater of aphids: the wing-cases look velvety and it eats fungal moulds on plants.
The common names for this insect in many languages follow the binomial name and mention that it has twenty-four spots, [1] but in English there is great variation in how this is written, with little consensus over the use of words or numerals, capitalisation, placement of hyphens and whether to use "spot", "spotted", "point" or "pointed"; "ladybird", "ladybird beetle" or "ladybug". There is even disagreement about the spelling of the Latin "vigintiquatuorpunctata" with some authoritative UK lists preferring a double "t": "vigintiquattuopunctata". [2] For ease it is often written "Subcoccinella 24-punctata". Given the multitude of name formations, it is probably best to use just the genus "Subcoccinella" when carrying out a web search for information about this insect to avoid missing texts that use variant spellings - it's the only species in the genus. In the US it is also known as the "Alfalfa Lady Beetle", [3] though rarely found on alfalfa in North America. [4]
The adult 24-spot is a small ladybird, usually 3 to 4 mm long. It has the quintessential ladybird shape, quite domed with the sides forming a smooth curve from head to pronotum to wing-cases. The wing-cases are covered with short pale hairs, and though these are hard to see without a hand lens, they give the ladybird a distinctive matte appearance. The ladybird is dark orange, including legs and antennae. There are black spots on the wing cases. These vary in number and size but there are often about 20 to 24 and usually no more than 26. Sometimes spots are joined together or they can be absent completely. Dark (melanic) forms are very rare. Another extremely rare form has yellow spots. [5]
Larvae are 4 to 6mm long and pale grey-green with darker speckles. [6] They are covered with branched spines. These spines are also present in the pupa, enabling the pupa to secrete noxious alkaloids as a defence against predators. [7]
There are five European species in the subfamily Epilachninae, all herbivorous and somewhat hairy. The 24-spot Ladybird can be distinguished from the similarly patterned Bryony Ladybird - Henosepilachna argus (6 to 8 mm) by its small size (3 to 4 mm). [8] Cynegetis impunctata , another small ladybird, is browner and has no spots. It also has a black head and this separates it from the form of the 24-spot Ladybird without spots. [9]
This ladybird usually has no wings under the elytra (wing cases) and these individuals are unable to fly. A study found no winged specimens in a UK sample whereas 40% of those from Hungary and Romania had wings. However, as even the winged specimens carried the gene that causes atrophy, it is thought that winglessness is a trend that will increase. [10]
This ladybird is an Old World species occurring across Europe, North Africa, European Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia, the Russian Far East, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Transcaucasia, Kazakhstan, Middle Asia, Western Asia, Afghanistan, Mongolia, China, North and South Korea. [11] [12] [13] It was introduced into North America some time last century with the first records from Pennsylvania in 1972. [14] In Britain it is more common in the south. [15]
This species is very broadly distributed and somewhat variable over its range; in 1991, a pair of researchers proposed that specimens from South Korea represented a distinct and previously unrecognized species, which they named Subcoccinella coreae. [16] Subsequent researchers disputed this, indicating that in their opinion there was no clear evidence that this was anything beyond a population-level difference, in need of better supporting evidence to support the validity of the proposed species. [17]
S. vigintiquatuorpunctata is found in many different habitats (Pontic–Caspian steppe, Pannonian Steppe and unimproved grassland, quarries, wasteland, ruderal areas, Western European broadleaf forests mixed forests and near rivers and in other life zones of central Europe). [18]
Adults can be found from late Spring until the Autumn. They appear commonly on flowers, especially Apiaceae. Eggs are laid in May and larvae develop in about six weeks. New generation adults usually are active until October or November. [19]
Larvae feed only on the mycelium of Erysiphales (mainly Podosphaera on trees (in particular Quercus robur and Fraxinus excelsior ) [20] Also on these fungi on Poaceae, Astragalus and some species of the families Fabaceae and Boraginaceae) [21] The insects carry spores of the fungi.
Hippodamia tredecimpunctata, commonly known as the thirteen-spot ladybeetle, is a species of lady beetle.
Coccinella septempunctata, the seven-spot ladybird, is native to the Old World and is the most common ladybird in Europe. Its elytra are of a red colour, but punctuated with three black spots each, with one further spot being spread over the junction of the two, making a total of seven spots, from which the species derives both its common and scientific names.
Propylea quatuordecimpunctata is a small lady beetle, belonging to the family Coccinellidae. It is sometimes referred to by the common name 14-spotted ladybird beetle, or simply P-14.
Halyzia sedecimguttata, or orange ladybird, is a species of Coccinellidae (ladybirds) family.
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.
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.
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.
Adalia decempunctata, the ten-spotted ladybird or ten-spotted lady beetle, is a carnivorous beetle of the family Coccinellidae.
Calvia quatuordecimguttata, the cream-spot ladybird, is a species of ladybird in the family Coccinellidae. Its distribution is holarctic, it being found in Europe and through the East Palearctic to Japan. It is introduced to North America. This ladybird is generally 4 to 5 millimetres in length and varies in appearance depending on the geographical location. It usually lives in hedgerows and deciduous trees.
The eighteen-spotted ladybird, or 18-spot ladybird, is a species of beetle in the genus Myrrha in the ladybird family that lives primarily in pine forests and mixed (deciduous/conifer) forests inhabiting the upper part of the canopy and feeding on aphids. They favour old pines and breed in the crowns of pine trees in Germany M. octodecimguttata also occurs on high bogs Adults overwinter in aggregations under peeled-off bark and in crevices at the bases of old pine trunks. It is usually 4 to 5 millimetres in length.
Chilocorus bipustulatus, the heather ladybird, is a beetle species belonging to the family Coccinellidae, subfamily Chilocorinae.
The Epilachninae are a subfamily of the family of lady beetles, the Coccinellidae, in the order Coleoptera. Superficially, they look much like other ladybirds in the larger subfamily Coccinellinae, but they differ importantly in their biology, in that the members of the subfamily are largely or completely leaf-feeding herbivores rather than being predators. Accordingly, several members of the subfamily are crop pests, and sometimes cause locally serious crop losses.
Anatis ocellata, commonly known as the eyed ladybug, is a species of ladybug in the family Coccinellidae. It has black spots on a red background, with each spot surrounded by a yellowish halo. In one color variation, a specimen found in Scotland was reported having the spots fused to form longitudinal lines. Sometimes can also be found variation where black spots are absent.
Papuaepilachna guttatopustulata, the large leaf-eating ladybird, is a species of ladybird, formerly in the genus Henosepilachna endemic to parts of Australasia, specifically New South Wales, Queensland, the Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, New Hebrides and Solomon Islands.
Exochomus quadripustulatus, common name pine ladybird or pine lady beetle, is a species of beetle of the family Coccinellidae. The distribution range of E. quadripustulatus includes Europe, Northern Asia, and North America.
Aphidecta obliterata is a species of Coccinellidae, a flying beetle.
Scymnus auritus is a species of beetle in family Coccinellidae. It is found in the Palearctic It is a tiny black ladybird associated with Quercus robur woodland.
Henosepilachna argus, common name bryony ladybird, is a species of beetle in the family Coccinellidae.
Afidenta misera, is a species of lady beetle widespread in the Oriental region.
Illeis cincta, is a species of lady beetle native to India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.