Chilocorus bipustulatus
Encyclopedia
Chilocorus bipustulatus, the heather ladybird, is a beetle
species belonging to the family Coccinellidae
, subfamily Chilocorinae
.
These beetles are found in most of Europe
, in East Palearctic ecozone, in the Near East
and in North Africa
.
The elytra of this small beetle have a shining brown colour with two reddish-orange spots on each elytron
(hence the Latin word , meaning two-blistered). Sometime three spots run in an horizontal line and join into two larger stains.
The mature larva is about 5 millimetre (0.196850393700787 in) long. Wintering occurs as an adult. The adults grow up to 3–5 mm (0.118110236220472–0.196850393700787 ) long and can be encountered from May through October.
Heather ladybirds feed on aphids and scale insects, small insects mainly belonging to the family Coccidae
and Diaspididae
(Saissetia oleae, Aspidiotus nerii, Chionaspis salicis, Chrysomphalus aonidum, Pseudaulacaspis pentagona, Planococcus citri, etc.). Therefore this species has been introduced worldwide for biological control in case of infestations.
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
species belonging to the family Coccinellidae
Coccinellidae
Coccinellidae is a family of beetles, known variously as ladybirds , or ladybugs . Scientists increasingly prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as these insects are not true bugs...
, subfamily Chilocorinae
Chilocorinae
Chilocorinae is a subfamily of ladybirds in the family Coccinellidae....
.
These beetles are found in most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, in East Palearctic ecozone, in the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
and in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
The elytra of this small beetle have a shining brown colour with two reddish-orange spots on each elytron
Elytron
An elytron is a modified, hardened forewing of certain insect orders, notably beetles and a few of the true bugs ; in most true bugs, the forewings are instead called hemelytra, as only the basal half is thickened while the apex is membranous...
(hence the Latin word , meaning two-blistered). Sometime three spots run in an horizontal line and join into two larger stains.
The mature larva is about 5 millimetre (0.196850393700787 in) long. Wintering occurs as an adult. The adults grow up to 3–5 mm (0.118110236220472–0.196850393700787 ) long and can be encountered from May through October.
Heather ladybirds feed on aphids and scale insects, small insects mainly belonging to the family Coccidae
Coccidae
The Coccidae are a family of scale insects belonging to the superfamily Coccoidea. They are commonly known as soft scales, wax scales or tortoise scales. The females are flat with elongated oval bodies and a smooth integument which may be covered with wax. In some genera they possess legs but in...
and Diaspididae
Diaspididae
Diaspididae is the largest family of scale insects with over 2650 described species in around 400 genera. As with all scale insects, the female produces a waxy protective scale beneath which it feeds on its host plant...
(Saissetia oleae, Aspidiotus nerii, Chionaspis salicis, Chrysomphalus aonidum, Pseudaulacaspis pentagona, Planococcus citri, etc.). Therefore this species has been introduced worldwide for biological control in case of infestations.