Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Coleoptera (Beetles) ➔ Family Coccinellidae (Ladybirds)
Harmonia quadripunctata (Pontoppidan, 1763)
Kopfvierpunkt-Marienkäfer Cream-streaked Ladybird
Synonyms and other combinations:
Coccinella quadripunctata Pontoppidan, 1763 | Coccinella marginella Müller, O.F., 1776 | Coccinella sedecimpunctata Fabricius, 1781 | Coccinella marginepunctata Schaller, 1783 | Coccinella albida Gmelin, 1790 | Coccinella notata Olivier, 1791 |
Further vernacular names:
Four-spot Ladybird, Cream-streaked Lady BeetleClassification:
Harmonia quadripunctata belongs to the subfamily Coccinellinae, tribe Coccinellini.Distribution:
Southern and Central Europe, southern Northern Europe, Asia Minor. The species was also found in North America, but probably has not established there.Habitat:
Coniferous and mixed forests.Harmonia quadripunctata lives on pines (Pinus).
Description:
Body length 5.5 - 6.0 mm; pronotum white with black spots; head with longitudinal rows of 4 black dots (3 small and 1 large at the back); coloring and pattern of the elytra variable (from yellow-brown or reddish-brown with a maximum of 8 black spots each up to monochrome light with faded or completely without black spots).Biology:
Adults of Harmonia quadripunctata fly from March to October. They can be found all year round on pines. Imagines and larvae feed on aphids. Conifer aphid species of the genus Cinara (Aphididae) and the pine wooly aphid Pineus pini (Adelgidae) are captured. Harmonia quadripunctata hibernates as an imago in bark clefts or under bark scales.The species is attracted to artificial light sources. The first beetle shown here flew into the apartment at night and used the opportunity to inspect my computer.
Natural enemies:
The larvae of the braconid wasp Dinocampus coccinellae feed and develop as endoparasites/endoparasitoids in adult beetles of Harmonia quadripunctata.The larvae of some phorid fly species of the genus Phalacrotophora develop in the pupae of ladybirds and eat them from the inside.
References, further reading, links:
- de Jong, Y.S.D.M. (ed.) (2013) Fauna Europaea version 2.6.2 Web Service available online at https://fauna-eu.org/
- Harde, Severa: Der Kosmos Käferführer: Die Käfer Mitteleuropas, Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & KG, Stuttgart, ISBN 3-440-07682-2.
- Arved Lompe: Die Käfer Europas - Ein Bestimmungswerk im Internet
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