Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Coleoptera (Beetles) ➔ Family Coccinellidae (Ladybirds)

Chilocorus bipustulatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Strichfleckiger Marienkäfer Heather Ladybird

Synonyms and other combinations:

Coccinella bipustulatus Linnaeus, 1758 | Coccinella fasciatus Müller, 1776 | Coccinella transversoguttatus Boerner, 1776 | Coccinella frontalis Thunberg, 1792 | Coccinella testudo Florencourt Chassot, 1796 | Coccinella strigatus Fabricius, 1798 | Chilocorus olivetorum Costa, 1839 |

  • Chilocorus bipustulatus 9187
    Chilocorus bipustulatus (Linnaeus, 1758)  Strichfleckiger Marienkäfer  Heather Ladybird 
    Chilocorus bipustulatus
    DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark; 2020-04-07 09:57:49
    Image number: 9187

    DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark
    2020-04-07 09:57:49
  • Chilocorus bipustulatus 9188
    Chilocorus bipustulatus (Linnaeus, 1758)  Strichfleckiger Marienkäfer  Heather Ladybird 
    Chilocorus bipustulatus
    DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark; 2020-04-07 09:58:19
    Image number: 9188

    DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark
    2020-04-07 09:58:19
  • Chilocorus bipustulatus 9189
    Chilocorus bipustulatus (Linnaeus, 1758)  Strichfleckiger Marienkäfer  Heather Ladybird 
    Chilocorus bipustulatus, conf. Christoph Benisch
    DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark; 2020-04-06 16:44:45
    Image number: 9189

    DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark
    2020-04-06 16:44:45
    conf. Christoph Benisch

Further vernacular names:
Heather Lady Beetle, Armored Scale Lady Beetle, Pine Lady Beetle
Classification:
Chilocorus bipustulatus belongs to the subfamily Chilocorinae, tribe Chilocorini.
Distribution:
Originally native to the Palaearctic, the species was introduced to many regions of the world for biological control of scale insects.
Habitat:
Different biotopes: At the edges of forests, in parks and gardens on trees and bushes, plantations.
Description:
The Heather Ladybird (Chilocorus bipustulatus) has a body length of 2.7 - 4.0 mm. The almost hemispherical, black or brown beetle has a pronotum with rounded base, which does not fit closely to the base of the elytra, and elytra with three small reddish spots in a transverse row, which usually merge into a transverse band. The lateral edges of the arched elytra are clearly flattened.
Biology:
The adults and larvae are predators that feed predominantly on various species of scale insects and aphids. The prey spectrum of the polyphagous species includes Aleyrodidae, Coccidae, Diaspididae, Pseudococcidae, Psyllidae and also planthoppers of the family Tropiduchidae.
Chilocorus bipustulatus can form several generations per year. The number of generations depends on environmental conditions and food supply. According to a study, the development of the Heather Ladybird from egg to adult took 27 days at a temperature of 30 °C and feeding on Aspidiotus nerii (Diaspididae). At 14 °C the development time was more than doubled to 62 days.
Chilocorus bipustulatus hibernates in Central Europe as an adult.

References, further reading, links:
  1. de Jong, Y.S.D.M. (ed.) (2013) Fauna Europaea version 2.6.2 Web Service available online at https://fauna-eu.org/
  2. Arved Lompe: Die Käfer Europas - Ein Bestimmungswerk im Internet
  3. Zennure Satici Karatay, Ismail Karaca: Temperature-dependent development of Chilocorus bipustulatus (L.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on Aspidiotus nerii Bouche (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) under laboratory conditions, Turkish Journal of Entomology 37(2):185-194, June 2013.