Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Coleoptera (Beetles) ➔ Family Coccinellidae (Ladybirds)
Coccinella (Coccinella) algerica Kovar, 1977
Classification:
Coccinella algerica belongs to the subfamily Coccinellinae, tribe Coccinellini.Distribution:
Canary Islands, Italian Islands (Sicily, Lampedusa, Linosa, Pantelleria), Northwest Africa (Maghreb), Iberian Peninsula.Habitat:
In the herb layer, on trees and bushes in places where aphids can be found.Description:
Coccinella algerica has red elytra with 7 black spots. Head, pronotum and legs are mostly black. There are 2 small white spots at the inner edges of the eyes and larger white spots on the anterior corners of the pronotum.Similar species:
Similar species are Coccinella septempunctata and Coccinella magnifica. These species do not occur in the Canary Islands. Coccinella algerica should be on average slightly smaller than Coccinella septempunctata and usually has larger black spots on the elytra. The curvature of the elytra is less pronounced.Biology:
Coccinella algerica is a predator. The larvae and adult beetles feed on aphids (Aphidoidea). The species was found on host plants from more than 20 families.Coccinella algerica is polyvoltin. The species forms up to 3 generations per year.
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/
- Keith J. Bensusan, Josep Muñoz Batet & Charles E. Perez: Coccinella algerica Kovář, 1977: A New Species to the Fauna of Mainland Europe, and a Key to the Coccinella Linnaeus, 1758 of Iberia, the Maghreb and the Canary Islands (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae), Boletín Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa, no 39 (2006):323−327.
- 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