Adalia bipunctata
Two-spotted lady beetle | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
Family: | Coccinellidae |
Genus: | Adalia |
Species: | A. bipunctata
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Binomial name | |
Adalia bipunctata |
Adalia bipunctata, the two-spot ladybird, two-spotted ladybug or two-spotted lady beetle, is a carnivorous
Taxonomy
The two-spotted ladybird was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae; its original name was Coccinella bipunctata.[2] Its specific name is from the Latin bi- "two", and punctata "spotted".[3]
Description
Adalia bipunctata is a small Coccinellid that can feature any one of a large selection of red and black forms. Some forms are similar to Mulsantina picta, but the two white spots on the head of Adalia (in contrast with a large white region or more than two spots) readily separate it. Additionally Adalia is entirely black on the ventral surface with black legs, which helps rule out any other options.
The two-spotted ladybird is highly variable in many parts of its native range. The most familiar form, form typica with two black spots on a red base, is common throughout. A
Prey
Two-spotted lady beetles feed on aphids and other small insects.[1][4][5] However, the sterile soldiers within colonies of aphids such as the gall-forming Pemphigus spyrothecae, can attempt to protect the aphid colony by fighting this species.
Life cycle
The two-spotted lady beetle's life cycle starts with
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Life cycle of Adalia bipunctata. Illustration from Insects, Their Way and Means of Living byR. E. Snodgrass
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Spotted lady beetles mating
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Larva
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Pupa
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The adult beetle
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Newborns
Sex ratio anomalies
Symbiosis
In some populations, the majority of the beetles are
Parasitism
The two-spot ladybird also carries a sexually transmitted infection in Central and Eastern Europe. The infection is an
As biological control agent
A. bipunctata is used as a localised biological control agent against aphids in, for example, greenhouses.[citation needed]. The two-spotted lady beetle was introduced into Australia specifically as a biological control agent.[11]
References
- ^ a b c "Two-spotted Lady Beetle Adalia bipunctata". eNature.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- ^ Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata (in Latin). Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii).
- ISBN 0-304-52257-0.
- ^ a b "Adalia bipunctata (Linnaeus, 1758:364)". Discover Life. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- ^ a b "Adalia bipunctata two-spotted lady beetle". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Archived from the original on June 8, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- PMC 1689827.
- PMID 8288533.
- S2CID 45043757.
- ^ Hurst, G. D. D.; Sharpe, R. G.; Broomfield, A. H.; Walker, L. E.; Majerus, T. M. O.; Zakharov, I. A. & Majerus, M. E. N. (1995). "Sexually transmitted disease in a promiscuous insect, Adalia bipunctata". Ecological Entomology. 20: 230-236.
- ^ "Adalia bipunctata (Linnaeus)". www.ento.csiro.au CSIRO. 7 July 2005. Retrieved February 14, 2009.