convergent lady beetle

not listed

NNR - Unranked

not listed

Convergent lady beetle is a slightly elongated, ⅛″ to ¼″ long lady beetle. It is one of the most abundant in North America. It is widely sold by insectaries for biological insect control. Adults are gathered when they are dormant at high elevations in California where they congregate in huge masses to overwinter. Their ability to produce eggs is suspended for several weeks after they are released. During this time they migrate to other areas, making their purchase a waste of time and money.

The body is oval and dome-shaped.

The head is black with three white, connected spots between the eyes. The thorax plate (pronotum) is black with a white margin around three sides and a well-defined, white, dash-shaped spot on each side. The dashes converge toward the head, giving this species its common and scientific names.

The thick, hardened, shell-like forewings (elytra) are orange with up to 13 black spots. When there is a full complement of 13 spots, they are in a 1–4–4–4 pattern. The forward spot is spread over the junction of the two elytra. There is a white spot at the base of each side of the forward spot. Occasionally, the elytra have no spots.

The larva looks like a tiny, blackish alligator with numerous spines.

Total length: ⅛″ to ¼″

Agricultural fields, forests, gardens. Any place having plants with aphids.

One or two generations: spring and summer

The larvae eat about 25 aphids per day, the adults about 56 per day.

In the spring and early summer the female lays an upright batch of 15 to 30 spindle-shaped eggs near their prey. Over the course of one to two months she will lay 200 to 500 eggs. The eggs begin hatching and the larvae feed first on the remaining unhatched eggs then on aphids. In a period of 10 to 30 days, the larvae moult three times, then pupate. The adult emerges 3 to 12 days later, depending on the temperature. Adults live for weeks or months, depending on the availability of food, the temperature, and the time of year.

Aphids

Aphids, scale insects, and other soft-bodied insects. Sometimes also insect eggs, mites, and small larvae.

Sources

7, 24, 27, 29, 30, 82.

Common, abundant, and widespread

Location: Albany, NY