Adalia bipunctata
| Two-spotted lady beetle | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Coccinellidae |
| Genus: | Adalia |
| Species: | A. bipunctata |
| Binomial name | |
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Adalia bipunctata (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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Adalia bipunctata, commonly known as the two-spot ladybird, two-spotted ladybug or two-spotted lady beetle, is a carnivorousbeetle of the family Coccinellidae that is found throughout the holarctic region. It is very common in western and central Europe. It is also native to North America but it has heavily declined in many states and provinces. It is commonly introduced and imported as a biological control agent.
The two-spotted ladybird was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th-century work Systema Naturae; its original name was Coccinella bipunctata. Its specific name is from the Latin bi- "two", and punctata "spotted". The name can also be written as Adalia 2-punctata depending on author preference.
Adalia bipunctata is a small Coccinellid that can feature any one of a large selection of red and black forms. Some forms are similar to Mulsantina picta, but the two white spots on the head of Adalia (in contrast with a large white region or more than two spots, readily separates it. Additionally Adalia is entirely black on the ventral surface with black legs, which helps rule out any other options.
The two-spotted ladybird is highly variable in many parts of its native range. The most familiar form, form typica with two black spots on a red base, is common throughout. A melanistic form that is black with 4 or 6 red spots is uncommon, but not rare, while the truly melanistic form purpurea is exceedingly rare. In North America the species shows the most variation, with several forms that do not occur elsewhere including a spotless form, a four-banded form, a 9-12 spotted form, and a "cross-hatched" form. In addition, there are intermediate forms such as form annulata, but they occur rarely.
Two-spotted lady beetles feed on aphids and other small insects. However, the sterile soldiers within colonies of aphids such as the gall-forming Pemphigus spyrothecae, can attempt to protect the aphid colony by fighting this species.
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Wikipedia