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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Cucujiformia » Coccinelloidea » Coccinellid group » Lady Beetles (Coccinellidae) » Chilocorinae » Curinus » Metallic Blue Lady Beetle (Curinus coeruleus)

Species Curinus coeruleus - Metallic Blue Lady Beetle

Black-shelled, orange eyes, spikey, 'bug'. (Looks like it is made up of parts left over at the end of the day.) - Curinus coeruleus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)

Superfamily Coccinelloidea

No Taxon (Coccinellid group)

Family Coccinellidae (Lady Beetles)

Subfamily Chilocorinae

Genus Curinus

Species coeruleus (Metallic Blue Lady Beetle)

Other Common Names

Dark Blue Lady Beetle

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Curinus coeruleus (Mulsant)

Orig. Comb: Orcus coeruleus Étienne Mulsant 1850

Explanation of Names

coeruleus is a spelling variation of Latin caeruleus - "deep/dark blue, as the sky"

Identification

Blue with two orange markings on the pronotum (hard shell between wings and head).

Range

FL (n. to ~Gainesville) / Cuba / Mex. to S. Amer. (1)

Native to the Caribbean but widely introduced for biological control. Apparently imported to Florida from Mexico in the 1950s.

Season

Jan-Dec in FL (BG data)

Food

Normally scale insects (order Homoptera, suborder Coccoidea), but also will feed on aphids and the Asian Citrus Psyllid (Diaphorina citri)

Internet References

Annales des Sciences Physiques et Naturelles d'Agriculture et d'Industrie. Publié par la Societé d'Agriculture et d'Industrie de Lyon, 2nd ser., v.2, p.472 - Mulsant's original description of the species (in French)

Works Cited

1.	A distributional checklist of the beetles (Coleoptera) of Florida. Peck & Thomas. 1998. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Gainesville. 180 pp.

Contributed by Joshua Stuart Rose on 15 August, 2005 - 2:37pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Chuck Entz, Mike Quinn, Tim Moyer, Abigail Parker
Last updated 11 February, 2015 - 11:32am

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