Hippodamia falcigera

Crotch, 1873

sickle-marked lady beetle

Hippodamia falcigera, the sickle-marked lady beetle, is a small lady beetle in the Coccinellidae. measure approximately 5–6 mm in length. The species is known from a limited geographic range in western North America, with records from Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Idaho, and Wyoming. Very little is known about its , , or compared to better-studied such as H. convergens.

Hippodamia falcigera by (c) Alexandria 'Alex' Wenninger, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Alexandria 'Alex' Wenninger. Used under a CC-BY license.

Hippodamia falcigera 301849358 by Alexandria 'Alex' Wenninger. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Hippodamia falcigera: /ˌhɪpoʊˈdeɪmiə fælˈsɪdʒərə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Hippodamia falcigera can be distinguished from similar Hippodamia by the distinctive sickle-shaped markings that give the species its , though precise diagnostic characters require examination of specimens. It is smaller than some and has a more restricted geographic range than the widespread H. convergens. Accurate identification typically requires reference to original species descriptions or keys.

Images

Appearance

reach a length of about 5–6 mm. Specific coloration and pattern details are not well documented in available sources.

Distribution

Recorded from western North America including the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon, as well as the U.S. states of Idaho and Wyoming. GBIF records additionally indicate presence in Manitoba, Canada.

Similar Taxa

Hippodamia convergensThe convergent lady beetle is a widespread and well-known that overlaps in range with H. falcigera in western North America. H. convergens is larger, more abundant, and has converging white lines on the pronotum rather than sickle-shaped markings.

More Details

Data deficiency

Hippodamia falcigera is among the least documented in the Hippodamia. The iNaturalist platform shows only 11 observations as of the knowledge cutoff, indicating it is rarely encountered or underreported. Most ecological and biological research on Hippodamia has focused on H. convergens due to its abundance and importance in .