Coccinellidae coccinella5/1/2023 ![]() Size increases with each consecutive molting. septempunctata can be variable in color depending on temperature but are generally dark and highly segmented. ( "Coccinella septempunctata L.", 2011 Cantrell, 2011 Hodek and Michaud, 2008) The eggs of Coccinella septempunctata are small (1mm long) and oval-shaped. The ventral side of the abdomen is convex and is almost exclusively black males have slight hairs on the last abdominal segment. This species also has two characteristic pale white spots along the anterior side of the pronotum. ![]() The three spots on each elytra are variable in placement, but are generally rather bold. ![]() There is one spot next to the scutellum that bridges the junction between the two elytra there are two white patches on either side of the scutellum, just above this black scutellar spot. This species typically has seven black spots on its elytra (although it can range from 0 to 9). It can be identified however, by several distinct characteristics. Range elevation sea level to 1500 m to 4921.26 ftĬoccinella septempunctata looks like the quintessential ladybug: it is medium sized, has orangish-red elytra and black spots.( Cantrell, 2011 Hodek and Michaud, 2008 Hoebeke and Wheeler, 1983 Honek and Martinkova, 2005 Honek, et al., 2007 Turnock, et al., 2003) The preferred overwintering habitat for Coccinella septempunctata is an open area with sheltering boulders, small tussocks, or hedgerows of densely packaged grasses that are south-facing, maximizing sunlight hours. This normally includes small herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees in open fields, grasslands, marshes, agricultural fields, suburban gardens and parks. ( Gordon, 1985 Honek and Martinkova, 2005 Maredia, et al., 1992)Ĭoccinella septempunctata can be found wherever significant numbers of prey, particularly aphids, are present. Since then, this species has become one of the most common and widespread coccinellid species in the Nearctic range. and Canada, either purposefully or unintentionally in the following years. Populations continued to arise in the eastern U.S. However, this population was thought to have arisen from an accidental release. None of these releases were thought to be successful in creating a natural population until 1973 when an established population was found in Hackensack Meadowland, New Jersey. for biological control of crop threatening aphids. septempunctata occurred between 1951 to 1971 in the U.S. Since one single ladybug can lay over 300 eggs during her life, establishing a permanent population of ladybugs can really pay up over time.Coccinella septempunctata originated in Europe and Asia, but is now found throughout the Middle East, India and North America (U.S. This also highlights the importance of implementing a conservative model of pest control species introduction, in which the insects are not merely released by the thousands each year, but actually stimulated to establish and reproduce in cropland areas. This can effectively solve plague problems over the whole growing season, rather than during the limited time in which other agents of biological pest control are in their larvae stage. If a thousand lacewings could eat 300,000 of those over a few weeks, ladybugs can eat up to 5,000,000 (yes, that's five million aphids!) over the course of one or two years. Since ladybugs are predators both as larvae and as adults, and since some species have adult individuals that overwinter before the first frosts and reemerge on the following spring, the number of damaging insects that one of these can eat is astounding: up to five thousand aphids alone per ladybug.
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