ladybug
Ladybirds belong to the family Ladybirds of the order Coleoptera. The body is hemispherically arched, the surface is smooth, often with red, black, yellow, and white spots, and it is a brightly colored small insect. There are more than 5,000 species of ladybugs worldwide. According to pang hong et al. (2004) statistics, there are 725 species of ladybugs in China, of which 145 are plant-feeding, about 20 are fungal, and the rest are predatory ladybirds. The following are some of the common predatory ladybirds I have collected
11. Red-shouldered ladybug
Harmonia dimidiate Fabricius, body length 6.6 ~ 9.6 mm, body width 6.1 ~ 8.4 mm, body nearly rounded, protruding shoulder arch. The head is yellowish brown; the dorsal plate of the anterior thorax is yellowish brown, with 2 dark spots at the base, usually connected, rarely separated, or disappeared. Small shield black. The elytra are orange-yellow to orange-red , with 13 black spots arranged in 1-3-2-1/2 on each elytra ; the spots can be enlarged, contracted, or even connected.
Hosts: Aphids and pyllids.
12. Small mite ladybirds
Stethorus (Allostethorus) parapauperculus Pang, body length 0.96 ~ 1.20mm, width 0.72 ~ 0.92mm. The body is ovoid and narrowed at the end. The ventral surface is also more protrusive. It is black all over, with fine gray-white hairs on the back. The posterior baseline is broad, stretching more than half of the first visible web and then bending forward to reach the near anterior margin angle.
Host: Citrus full-clawed mite.
13. Flash blue red dot lip ladybug
Chilocorus chalybeatus Gorham, 5 to 5.7 mm long and 4.3 to 5.0 m wide. The body is nearly rounded and the ends are narrower. The head is black to dark brown. The dorsal plate of the forebreast is black, but the anterior corners have a narrow reddish-brown edge. Elytra is black , each with an orange-yellow near-circular spot on the elytra , located before the middle , which is 1/2 wider in width than the widest part of the elytra , and the circumference of the spot is closer to the elytra and farther away from the outer edge of the elytra. The black part on the back reflects a blue metallic sheen.
Host: Citrus red wax borer and shield borer subfamily mesodermae.
14. Thin-edged lip ladybird
Chilocorus circumdatus Gyllenhal, 5.2 to 6.0 mm long and 4.5 to 5.0 mm wide. The body is nearly rounded. The dorsal area is brownish yellow to reddish , with distinctly demarcated black or brown margins on the outer edge of the elytra. The anterior lateral projection of the dorsal plate of the anterior thorax extends to the base of the lip, and is covered with fine hairs, and the posterior margin is undulating.
Host: A variety of mesophylls of the brown roundworm and shield borer subfamily.
15. Narrow-rumped ladybird
Coccinella transversalis Phunberg, 5.6 to 6.2 mm long and 3.5 to 4.8 mm wide. The body is oval in shape and sharply narrowed at the rear. The head is black with 2 small maculas on the forehead. The dorsal plate of the forebreast is black , with nearly oblong yellow to red spots at the anterior horns , and sometimes the leading edge is lighter. The elytra are yellow to red, the sheath is black, and the black part usually stops before the end; each elytra has 3 black transverse spots, the anterior spot is inverted T-shaped, and the middle spot is located at 2/3 of the elytra, connected to or separated from the sheath slit, not reaching the wing side; the posterior spot is near the end of the wing, and the spot can disappear or expand.
Host: Cotton aphid, orange aphid, meadowsweet aphid, can also prey on shield aphids.