Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Coleoptera (Beetles) ➔ Family Coccinellidae (Ladybirds)
Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Sechzehnpunkt-Marienkäfer Sixteen-spot Ladybird
Synonyms and other combinations:
Coccinella sedecimpunctata Linnaeus, 1758 | Coccinella duodecimpunctata Linnaeus, 1767 | Coccinella suturata Goeze, 1777 | Coccinella octodecimpunctata D. H. Schneider, 1787 | Coccinella undecimpunctata Gmelin, 1790 |
Classification:
Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata belongs to the subfamily Coccinellinae, tribe Tytthaspididini.Distribution:
Palearctic.Habitat:
Frequently in sandy areas, in dunes, on sandy river banks, in steppes, in dry meadows, sometimes also in marshy meadows; in the mountains up to altitudes of 500 m.Description:
Body length 2.5 - 3 mm; upper surface of the body not hairy; elytra roundish, light yellow or cream with black central suture and 8 (rarely 7 or 9) black spots each, of which lateral ones usually appear joined by a stripe; pronotum widest at base, narrowed towards the front and much narrower at front than at base; middle and hind femora not reaching beyond the sides of the body; scutellum very small and scarcely visible. The antennae inserted just in front of the eyes can usually only be moved downwards and sideways.Biology:
The Sixteen-spot Ladybird Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata has a broad food spectrum. The diet includes aphids, mites and thrips, rust and mildew fungi and pollen from grasses (Poaceae), Sunflower family (Asteraceae) and Morning Glory family (Convolvulaceae). The larvae have specially developed comb-like mouth parts (mandibles) for collecting pollen and spores (Ricci, 1982).Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata hibernates as adult beetle in grass tussocks, moss or leaf litter.
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
- Calvia decemguttata
- Ceratomegilla undecimnotata
- Coccinella algerica
- Coccinula quatuordecimpustulata
- Exochomus nigripennis
- Hyperaspis concolor
- Oenopia conglobata
- Scymnus sp.
- Adonis' Ladybird
- Cream-spot Ladybird
- Cream-streaked Ladybird
- Eyed Ladybird
- Four-spotted Ladybird
- Fourteen-spot Ladybird
- Harlequin Ladybird
- Heather Ladybird
- Kidney-spot Ladybird
- Larch Ladybird
- Mealybug Ladybird
- Orange Ladybird
- Seven-spot Ladybird
- Sixteen-spot Ladybird
- Ten-spot Ladybird
- Twenty-two-spot Ladybird
- Two-spot Ladybird
- Vedalia Beetle