Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Coleoptera (Beetles) ➔ Family Coccinellidae (Ladybirds)
Novius cardinalis (Mulsant, 1850)
Vedalia Beetle
Synonyms and other combinations:
Vedalia cardinalis Mulsant, 1850 | Rodolia aegyptiaca Sicard, 1907 | Rodolia cardinalis (Mulsant, 1850) |
Further vernacular names:
Cardinal LadybirdDistribution:
Originally native to Australia, the ladybird Novius cardinalis, which is used for biological pest control, has spread to almost all continents (except Antarctis).Habitat:
Citrus orchards and other areas where Cottony Cushion Scales (Icerya purchasi) are found.Description:
Body length 2 - 4 mm; upper side shortly hairy; head and rear part of the pronotum black; wing covers red with black spots, rarely only red; legs black with brown tarsi; antennae brown.Biology:
Both larvae and imagines of the Vedalia Beetle (Novius cardinalis) feed predatory on scale insects. The main prey is the Cotony Cusion Scale (Icerya purchasi), for whose biological control the ladybird species was first successfully used in citrus plantations towards the end of the 19th century.Novius cardinalis is a multivoltine species that can develop up to 12 generations per year under optimal conditions. Under laboratory conditions the development time from egg to adult beetle was determined. This was only 18 - 19 days at 26 °C. At 14 °C the development period was significantly longer with 79 days.
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/
- E.E. Grafton-Cardwell, P. Gu, G.H. Montez: Effects of temperature on development of vedalia beetle, Rodolia cardinalis (Mulsant), Biological Control 32 (2005) 473–478.
- Adalia bipunctata
- Adalia decempunctata
- Anatis ocellata
- Aphidecta obliterata
- Brumus quadripustulatus
- Calvia decemguttata
- Calvia quatuordecimguttata
- Ceratomegilla undecimnotata
- Chilocorus bipustulatus
- Chilocorus renipustulatus
- Coccinella algerica
- Coccinella septempunctata
- Coccinula quatuordecimpustulata
- Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
- Exochomus nigripennis
- Halyzia sedecimguttata
- Harmonia axyridis
- Harmonia quadripunctata
- Hippodamia variegata
- Hyperaspis concolor
- Novius cardinalis
- Oenopia conglobata
- Propylea quatuordecimpunctata
- Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata
- Scymnus sp.
- Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata