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Family Coccinellidae 
Lady Beetles 
Lady beetles are small, usually less than 5 mm long. Their bodies are round, 
usually convex or hemispherical, and shiny, often marked with red, yellow, black, 
or white spots. The larvae have a large, protruding head with a fleshy, elongate, 
tapering body that is covered with tubercles or spines, and have well-developed, 
five-jointed legs. They are black or gray and are frequently marked with bright 
colors. 
About 400 species occur in the United States. There are keys to the identification 
of species occurring in Minnesota (//5/). As a group, lady beetles are among the 
most beneficial and most widely recognized of all insects; one review covers 206 
references on predacious species (5/2). Both adults and larvae of most species are 
predacious on scales, aphids, and spider mites or on the eggs and larvae of larger 
insects. Both stages usually occur on the host plants of their prey, and eggs are laid 
in clusters on leaves or bark. Adults overwinter, sometimes in enormous congrega- 
tions. However, species in the subfamily Epilachninae are herbivorous and some, 
such as the Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis Mulsant, are notorious pests 
of food plants. Some other species feed on spores of mildew or rust fungi. A few of 
the most important predators of forest insects will be discussed briefly. 
An introduced species, the twospotted lady beetle, Adalia bipunctata (L.), is an 
important predator of pine needle, juniper, beech, and terrapin scales in the 
Northern States. Adults are 3 to 5 mm long. The head is black with two yellow 
spots between the eyes; the thorax is black with yellow margins; and the wing 
covers are red, each with a black central spot. 
The twicestabbed lady beetle, Chilocorus stigma (Say), occurs in the Northern 
States and feeds commonly on pine needle, beech, terrapin, and juniper scales. The 
adult is 4 to 5 mm long, shiny black with a round red spot on the disk of each 
elytron. The venter of the abdominal segments is red. 
The convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville, feeds 
on aphids and scales throughout most of the United States. Adults are 4 to 6 mm 
long. The pronotum is black except for pale margins and is marked with two discal 
bars; the elytra are reddish with a black scutellar spot and 12 more or less distinct 
black spots; and the venter and legs are black. In some parts of the country this 
species hibernates in clusters of tens of thousands. In very hot summers it aestivates 
in a similar manner. 
Hyperaspis congressis Watson is widely distributed in the Eastern United States 
and is an important enemy of the pine tortoise scale. Adults are shiny black, 
strongly punctate, and 2.5 mm long. A rather large yellowish spot occurs on the 
middle of the elytra and often a fainter one is present on the wing tips. Anatis mali 
(Say), the fifteen-spotted lady beetle, feeds on a wide variety of forest insects, 
including young larvae of the gypsy moth and cankerworms, in the Eastern United 
States. Adults are yellowish and 8 to 10 mm long. There are two pale spots enclosed 
in a black disk on the thorax, a single spot on the scuiellum, and seven black spots 
on each elytron. 
Coccinella novemnotata Herbst, the nine-spotted lady beetle, is a common and 
widely distributed species that feeds on aphids and scales on both conifers and 
hardwoods. Adults are 5 to 7 mm long. The body is pale yellow, and black beneath. 
Each elytron bears four black spots, and one black spot is on the elytral suture. 
The transverse lady beetle, C. transversoguttata richardsoni Brown, feeds on 
scale insects infesting pines in the more northern States. Adults are reddish, 6 to 7.5 
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