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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Cucujiformia » Coccinelloidea » Coccinellid group » Lady Beetles (Coccinellidae) » Coccinellinae » Harmonia » Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis) » with Laboulbeniales fungus (Harmonia axyridis with Laboulbeniales fungus)
Photo#24075
beetle on beetle - Harmonia axyridis
Copyright © 2005 Charles Schurch Lewallen

beetle on beetle - Harmonia axyridis
Henryetta, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, USA
July 12, 2005
Does anyone know what is going on here, if anything?
After posting the image and looking at it, it seems that there is pollen or eggs on the back of the lady bug and perhaps the small beetle is eating that.

Images of this individual: tag all
beetle on beetle - Harmonia axyridis beetle on beetle - Harmonia axyridis
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Contributed by Charles Schurch Lewallen on 13 July, 2005 - 11:43am
Last updated 6 May, 2010 - 12:21pm

Moved
Moved from Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle.
… Abigail Parker, 6 May, 2010 - 12:22pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Ladybird Beetles.
… Boris Büche, 25 April, 2007 - 4:35am login or register to post comments

Assumption supported
Hi Charles,

The stuff on the ladybird (Asian one: Harmonia axyridis) are Laboulbeniales fungi, and the small beetle looks very like Typhaea sp. (Mycetophagidae) - a fungus feeder.

very interesting observation, compliments!

Boris
… Boris Büche, 21 December, 2006 - 11:21am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks, Boris
It is nice to get more information on fungus ridden bugs, and now that I am reading Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer I find it even more interesting.
… Beatriz Moisset, 21 December, 2006 - 3:16pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks for naming the fungus, Boris
we've been seeing and speculating on this one for years, without yet putting a name to it!
… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 21 December, 2006 - 3:09pm login or register to post comments

 
fuzzy ladybugs
we live in an old farm house in Indiana that has tons of ladybugs. I have noticed that many of them have some sort of fungus growing on them, some of it looks mossy and other ones look like darker spots. Can't say for sure that is kills them but it certainly appears to slow them down. Many of the dead ones seem to be rather dicolored as well.
… kandsmorey, 17 February, 2010 - 9:15pm login or register to post comments

 
Bugs with fungi
We have quite a collection of fungi on bugs.
Now that I look at this image again. I think that it may be a good idea to post one of these two images or a closeup of the smaller beetle in the Typhaea page. We only have a handful of those and plenty of Asian ladybeetles. Moreover it would be very interesting to illustrate where such fungus beetle finds food, of all places.
… Beatriz Moisset, 18 February, 2010 - 7:48am login or register to post comments

Fungus?
Compare this one

… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 4 November, 2005 - 8:33pm login or register to post comments

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