Coccinella septempunctata

Coccinella septempunctata
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Infraorder:	Cucujiformia
Family:	Coccinellidae
Genus:	Coccinella
Species:	C. septempunctata
Binomial name
Coccinella septempunctata (Linnaeus, 1758)

Coccinella septempunctata, the seven-spot ladybird (or, in

Although C. septempunctata

C. septempunctata has a broad ecological range, generally living wherever there are aphids for it to eat.^[3] This includes, amongst other biotopes, meadows, fields, Pontic–Caspian steppe, parkland, gardens, Western European broadleaf forests and mixed forests.

In the

• 
  Mating
• 
  Larva
• 
  In addition to insect prey, seven-spot lady-birds consume pollen and nectar.

An adult seven-spot ladybird may reach a body length of 7.6–12.7 mm (0.3–0.5 in). Their distinctive spots and conspicuous colours warn of their toxicity, making them unappealing to predators. The species can secrete a fluid from joints in their legs which gives them a foul taste. A threatened ladybird may both play dead and secrete the unappetising substance to protect itself.^[5] The seven-spot ladybird synthesizes the toxic alkaloids, N-oxide coccinelline and its free base precoccinelline; depending on sex and diet, the spot size and coloration can provide some indication of how toxic the individual insect is to potential predators.^[6]

Distribution

The species can be found in Europe, North Africa, Australia, Cyprus, European Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia, the Russian Far East, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, the Transcaucasia, Kazakhstan, Middle Asia, Western Asia, Middle East, Afghanistan, Mongolia, China, North and South Korea, Pakistan, Nepal, North India, Japan, Sri Lanka, southeast Asia, and tropical Africa.^[7]

Interaction with humans

Biological control, introductions, and infestations

The species has been repeatedly introduced to North America as a biological control agent to reduce aphid numbers.^[8] The first record of successful establishment (after numerous failed attempts to introduce the species) in the United States was in 1973. It has since spread by natural dispersion to New York and Connecticut and to Oklahoma, Georgia and Delaware by recolonization.^{[clarification needed][citation needed]}

In

C. septempunctata has been designated the national insect of Finland.^[10] In the United States, it is also the official state insect of five different states (Delaware,^[11] Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee).

References