Other Common Names
'bear lady'
'Orange-spotted Lady Beetle'
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Brachiacantha ursina (Fabricius)
Orig. Comb:
Cocinella ursina Fabricius 1787
Identification
Highly variable -
Gordon's figures (2)
Five spots on each elytron, which are finely punctured, so slightly dull. Body more elongated than most others in genus.
"The combination of large size and elongate, oval body form will separate
ursina from other eastern
Brachiacantha having the same color pattern"
(2)
Markings occasionally become confluent, so to resemble Brachiacantha illustris and albifrons from further west.
Range
Roughly a triangle from SC-NB-AB, + 1 record from LA -
Map (2)(1)Habitat
Often associated with milkweed,
Asclepias (3)(4)Season
mostly: May-July (BG data)
Remarks
This is
the most commonly collected e. sp. of Brachiacantha, but the dorsal color pattern is remarkably uniform.
(2)See Also
B. decempustulata - e. NA (TX-FL-NB-ND) - 2.0-2.5 mm (smaller), elytral spots pale yellow or white.
B. felina - e US (except coastal se US) - 2.2-3.0 mm (+ syn: B. rotunda - 3.1-4.0 mm)
B. ursina - ne NA (SK-SC-NB) - 3-4 mm; most common e. sp.
(2)
B. testudo - c. to s. TX
B. uteella - a look-alike occurring in western US, with no overlap. Pattern paler on average.
B. illustris - Rocky Mtns (CO-MT) - 3.4-4.6 mm
Print References
Gordon, 1985, especially pp. 580-582, figures 474-475.
(2)
Dillon and Dillon, p. 440, plate 42
(3)
Eaton and Kaufman, p. 154, illustration, p. 155
(5)
Montogomery, H.W. and M.A. Goodrich. 2002. The
Brachiacantha (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of Illinois. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science 95(2): 111-130. (fig. 4--photo of specimen)
Full PDFInternet References
Mantissa Insectorum, v.1, p.61 - Fabricius' original description
