Overview
Distribution
Geographic Range
Common and widespread in North America, thanks in part to commercial sales for biological control. Ranges to South America (Hoffmann and Frodsham 1993, White 1983).
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native )
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National Distribution
Canada
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
United States
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
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Physical Description
Morphology
Physical Description
The convergent lady beetle has a semi-hemispherical shape and a tannish/reddish coloring speckled with black dots. H. convergens has short legs and 3 distinct segments in the hind tarsi. Both of these characteristics distinguish them from other beetles. Their topside is round and almost completely covers the head, while the underside is flat.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry
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Ecology
Habitat
Habitat
H. convergens is found in a diversity of areas: fields, forests, gardens--anywhere there is ample vegetation that is infested with other insects included in the beetle's diet. They can be found in abundance in gardens, and farms where aphids and other pests are plentiful. Some ladybugs have been transplanted to areas where there has been a large problem with pest control.
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest
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Trophic Strategy
Food Habits
H. convergens is predacious. It feeds solely on other insects and small arthropods, their eggs, and larvae. Aphids, scale insects, and plant mites are their typical prey.
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Associations
Flowering Plants Visited by Hippodamia convergens in Illinois
(observations are from Robertson)
Apiaceae: Oxypolis rigidior sn (Rb), Pastinaca sativa sn (Rb); Liliaceae: Camassia scilloides sn (Rb); Rosaceae: Crataegus intricata sn (Rb); Rubiaceae: Cephalanthus occidentalis fp np (Rb)
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Hilty, J. Editor. 2010. Insect Visitors of Illinois Wildflowers. World Wide Web electronic publication. flowervisitors.info, version (09/2010).
See: Abbreviations for Insect Activities, Abbreviations for Scientific Observers, References for behavioral observations H
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Life History and Behavior
Reproduction
Reproduction
Reproduction in this species is sexual and fertilization is internal. Females lay 200-500 orange colored eggs one on top of the other in clusters on aphid-covered leaves. From these eggs, larvae develop into long, oval shaped, blackish organisms that look somewhat like tiny fat alligators. The larvae feed on the aphids and molt several times before metamorphosing into the round adult lady beetle.
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Molecular Biology and Genetics
Molecular Biology
Statistics of barcoding coverage: Hippodamia convergens
Public Records: 0
Species: 49
Species With Barcodes: 1
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Conservation
Conservation Status
Conservation Status
This range of this species has been expanded by its use in agriculture.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
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National NatureServe Conservation Status
Canada
Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked
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NatureServe Conservation Status
Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked
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Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems
Benefits
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Convergent lady beetles have been known to carry the fungus Discula destructiva, which has a harmful effect on Cornus florida, a dogwood tree native to the Eastern United States. The fungus is picked up by the insect, kept inside small crevices on its body, and then deposited onto the leaves of the trees. Damage by D. destructiva can kill the host tree.
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Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
H. convergens feeds on aphids and other insects that have detrimental effects on crops. They are sold commercially or insect pest control.
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Wikipedia
Hippodamia convergens
 | Wikispecies has information related to: Convergent lady beetle |
Hippodamia convergens, commonly known as the convergent lady beetle, is one of the most common lady beetles in North America and is found throughout the continent. Aphids form their main diet and they are used for the biological control of these pests.
Contents |
Life cycle
The female lady beetle lays 200 to 300 eggs over several months during spring and early summer. The eggs are small and spindle-shaped and are laid near the prey in upright batches of fifteen to thirty eggs. The larvae are dark and somewhat alligator-shaped.[1] Once the larvae begin feeding, they grow quickly and moult four times over a period of up to a month. The pupal stage lasts about a week and mating takes place soon afterwards. If there is an abundant supply of aphids the female may start laying within about a week of mating, but if the supply is scanty, she may wait for up to nine months.[2]
Biology
The first larvae that hatch in each batch may start by eating the unhatched eggs. This may provide energy for the larvae before they find any aphids. Feeding takes place when a larva bites a hole in the body of an aphid and sucks out the juices. The lady beetle larva then pumps fluids back into the aphid body and sucks the fluid out again several times in order to extract the maximum amount of nutrition. The fourth-instar larva may consume about fifty aphids per day and the adult lady beetle may eat about twenty. When aphids are scarce, the adults can eat honeydew, nectar and pollen or even petals and other soft parts of plants.[3] However they must consume aphids in order to reproduce.[4] In the western United States, these beetles may spend up to nine months hibernating in large aggregations in mountain valleys, far from their aphid food sources. In spring, the adults spread out and search for suitable sites to lay their eggs where aphids are plentiful. This dispersal trait is especially marked in this species as compared to other lady beetles.[1]
References
- ^ a b Cornell University
- ^ Balduf, W. V. (1935). The Bionomics of Entomophagous Coleoptera. St. Louis, MO: John S. Swift Co..
- ^ Hagen, Kenneth S. (1960). "Biological Control with Lady Beetles". Plants and Gardens: the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record 16 (3): 28–35.
- ^ Haug, G. W. (1938). "Rearing the Coccinellid Hippodamia convergens on Frozen Aphids". Annals of the Entomological Society of America 31 (2): 240–248.
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