Psyllobora vigintimaculata

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Psyllobora vigintimaculata
Twenty-spotted Lady Beetle - Psyllobora vigintimaculata, Brighton Beach, Deep Cove, British Columbia.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Coccinellidae
Genus: Psyllobora
Species:
P. vigintimaculata
Binomial name
Psyllobora vigintimaculata
(Say, 1824)

Psyllobora vigintimaculata, the twenty-spotted lady beetle, is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae.[1][2][3][4] It is found in North America.[1]

Appearance[]

P. vigintimaculata is about 1.75 - 3.0 mm in length and has 4-5 distinctive dark spots on the pronotum in an "M" shape. The elytron have dark, orange or bicolored spots on a white background. Although sometimes confused with the Fourteen-Spotted Lady Beetle (Propylea quatuordecimpunctata) and the Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis), it's unique pattern helps to distinguish it from other Lady Beetle species found in North America.[5]

Life Cycle[]

In a laboratory setting, it was found that P. vigintimaculata taedata a subspecies of P. vigintimaculata undergoes four larval instars, ecdysis and then pupation. The timing of life cycle was also found to vary according to rearing conditions.

Instars and Pupation[]

It was noted in the study that the first instar larvae had a white oval colored body with small hairs projecting from the thorax. the larvae of the second instar had a stripe and a much darker color that gradually turned lighter with each subsequent instar. Additionally, the larvae gradually grew larger each instar. During the end of the fourth instar, the larvae attached itself to a leaf or a petiole in order to molt. Pupa emerged with wing pads as well as black spots.

Duration[]

When eggs were deposited in 20°C it took about 32 days for adults to emerge. Under conditions of 25°C egg deposition to adult emergence took about 20 days.[6]

Potential as Biological Control[]

It has been proposed that P. vigintimaculata could potentially be used in place of fungicides as a biological control. This is because of its ability to utilize olfactory cues to seek out and feed on plants infected with powdery mildew which is an agriculturally significant plant parasite.[7] This could help solve problems associated with current control methods like resistance, effect on non target plants, and worker's safety. However, arthropod consumption of mildew and its potential for disease control is understudied. Some important considerations involved insect and mildew density, ability to locate food as well as seasonality of feeding.[6]

Parasitism[]

Hesperomyces virescens Thaxter[]

The fungal parasite Hesperomyces virescens Thaxter has been known to infect P. vigintimaculata.[8] The level of harm that the parasite causes to its host is still unclear because research on the topic has unveiled conflicting results. [9]

P. vigintimaculata, larva


References[]

  1. ^ a b "Psyllobora vigintimaculata Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  2. ^ "Psyllobora vigintimaculata species details". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  3. ^ "Psyllobora vigintimaculata". GBIF. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  4. ^ "Psyllobora vigintimaculata Species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  5. ^ "Twenty-spotted Lady Beetle | Vermont Atlas of Life". val.vtecostudies.org. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  6. ^ a b Sutherland, Parrella, Andrew, M (May 1, 2009). "Biology and Co-Occurrence of Psyllobora vigintimaculata taedata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Powdery Mildews in an Urban Landscape of California". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 102 (3): 484–491. doi:10.1603/008.102.0319. S2CID 86165718 – via US National Library of Medicine.
  7. ^ Tabata, Jun; Moraes, Consuelo M. De; Mescher, Mark C. (2011-08-18). "Olfactory Cues from Plants Infected by Powdery Mildew Guide Foraging by a Mycophagous Ladybird Beetle". PLOS ONE. 6 (8): e23799. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...623799T. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023799. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3158101. PMID 21876772.
  8. ^ Hardwood, Ricci, Romani, Pitz, Weir, Obrycki, James, Carlo, Roberto, Kevin, Alex, John (2006). "Prevalence and association of the laboulbenialean fungus Hesperomyces virescens (Laboulbeniales: Laboulbeniaceae) on coccinellid hosts (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Kentucky, USA" (PDF). European Journal of Entomology. 103 – via Google Scholar.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Riddick, E. W.; Cottrell, T. E.; Kidd, K. A. (2009-11-01). "Natural enemies of the Coccinellidae: Parasites, pathogens, and parasitoids". Biological Control. Trophic Ecology of the Coccinellidae. 51 (2): 306–312. doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2009.05.008. ISSN 1049-9644.

Further reading[]

  • Lobl, I.; Smetana, A., eds. (2007). Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera, Volume 4: Elateroidea - Derodontoidea - Bostrichoidea - Lymexyloidea - Cleroidea - Cucujoidea. Apollo Books. ISBN 978-8788757675.

External links[]


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