Hippodamia moesta

LeConte, 1854

sorrowful lady beetle

Species Guides

Hippodamia moesta bowditchi(Bowditch's Lady Beetle)
Hippodamia moesta moesta(Sorrowful Lady Beetle)

Hippodamia moesta, commonly known as the sorrowful lady beetle, is a of lady beetle in the Coccinellidae. It is native to western North America and is characterized by its predominantly black with a pale marginal spot and body length of 6–7.5 mm. The species includes three recognized with distinct geographic distributions.

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Pronunciation

How to pronounce Hippodamia moesta: /hɪpoʊˈdeɪmiə ˈmɛstə/

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

Identification

Distinguished from other Hippodamia by the combination of black with a single pale spot on the margin and the relatively small body size (6–7.5 mm). The H. m. moesta, H. m. bowditchi, and H. m. politissima show geographic partitioning that may aid identification. Similar species with spotted patterns or all-black elytra without marginal spots should be compared.

Images

Appearance

measure 6–7.5 mm in length. The pronotum sometimes bears pale spots. The are normally black with a pale spot on the margin. No additional color pattern details are documented for this .

Distribution

Recorded from western North America: British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, and Colorado. The three show partially overlapping ranges: H. m. bowditchi occurs in British Columbia, California, Colorado, Idaho, and Montana; H. m. moesta in British Columbia, California, Oregon, and Washington; H. m. politissima is restricted to California.

Similar Taxa

Hippodamia convergensSimilar and general form, but H. convergens has prominent converging white markings on the pronotum and typically orange-red with black spots, unlike the black elytra with pale marginal spot of H. moesta

More Details

Subspecies

Three are recognized: Hippodamia moesta moesta LeConte, 1854; Hippodamia moesta bowditchi Johnson, 1910; and Hippodamia moesta politissima Casey, 1899. Each has a distinct geographic range within western North America.