Other Common Names
Adonis' Ladybird (Britain and other parts of Europe)
Spotted Amber Ladybeetle (Australia)
White Collared Ladybird (Australia)
Russian Wheat-aphid Lady Beetle
Variations of Ladybug, Ladybird, Ladybeetle and Lady Beetle in the above names occur too!
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Hippodamia (Adonia) variegata (Goeze)
Orig. Comb: Coccinella variegata Goeze, 1777
Syn: Adonis variegata (Goeze)
Size
4-5 mm (Marshall and Cheung)
Identification
Variable spotting on elytra, 0-12 discal spots, with terminal 6 markings typically more persistent and likely to be present, and legs often or partly brownish rather than entirely black (per J. Bailey). Elytral ground color orange to red. Pronotum has white edging on anterior and lateral borders, and two white spots usually isolated but sometimes joining white anterior margin (see images below). Pronotum has raised margin on basal edge (Marshall and Cheung).
Range
SD-NJ-NB, PNW (as of 2011) -
Map (1)(2)
Native to Europe, introduced into northeastern North America.
Life Cycle
Associated with various aphids (Hesler and Lundgren 2011)
Remarks
First reported from North America in Quebec, Canada (Gordon 1987)
Its geographic range expansion had progressed to western Wisconsin by 2009 (Williams and Young 2009) and to South Dakota by 2010 (Hesler and Lundgren 2011). Also released into NE, but this release was deemed unsuccessful (Hesler and Lundgren 2011).
See Also
Convergent Ladybeetle (
Hippodamia convergens), pronotum with two isolated white lines, and all markings equally present.
Print References
Ellis, D.R., D.R. Prokrym, and R.G. Adams. 1999. Exotic lady beetle survey in northeastern United States: Hippodamia variegata and Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Entomological News 110: 73–84.
Gardiner, M.M., and G.L. Parsons. 2005. Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) detected in Michigan soybean fields. The Great Lakes Entomologist 38: 164–169.
Gordon, R.D. 1987. The first North American records of
Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Journal of the New York Entomological Society 95: 307–309.
JSTOR
Hesler, L.S. and J.G. Lundgren. 2011.
Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) Found in South Dakota, U.S.A. The Coleopterists Bulletin 65(1): 78-79.
Link
Wheeler Jr., A.G., and C.A. Stoops. 1996. Status and spread of the Palearctic lady beetles Hippodamia variegata and Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Pennsylvania, 1993–1995. Entomological News 107: 291–298.
Williams, A.H., and D.K. Young. 2009. The alien Hippodamia variegata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) quickly establishes itself throughout Wisconsin. The Great Lakes Entomologist 42: 100.
