Hippodamia quindecimmaculata

Mulsant, 1850

Scarce Convergent Ladybeetle

Hippodamia quindecimmaculata is a small lady beetle in the Coccinellidae, measuring 5-7 mm in length. It is characterized by pale spots on the pronotum and heavily maculate (spotted) . The species has a limited known distribution in North America, with records from Ontario, Saskatchewan, and several midwestern and southern U.S. states including Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. It appears to be relatively uncommon, with few documented observations.

Hippodamia quindecimmaculata by (c) antimatterbee, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by antimatterbee. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Hippodamia quindecimmaculata: /ˌhɪpoʊˈdeɪmiə ˌkwɪndesɪməˈkjuːlɑːtə/

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 pale spots on the pronotum and heavily maculate . The specific spot pattern—implied by the species name suggesting approximately fifteen spots—differs from the more familiar convergent lady beetle (H. convergens), which has converging white lines on the pronotum rather than discrete pale spots. Accurate identification likely requires examination of spot arrangement and pronotal pattern details.

Images

Distribution

North America. Documented from Ontario and Saskatchewan in Canada; in the United States from Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. The patchy distribution pattern suggests either genuine rarity or undercollection.

Similar Taxa

Hippodamia convergens (Convergent Lady Beetle)Similar size and general appearance, but H. convergens has characteristic converging white lines on the pronotum rather than discrete pale spots, and typically has fewer, larger elytral spots arranged in a different pattern.

More Details

Rarity

The 'Scarce Convergent Ladybeetle' and low observation count (7 records on iNaturalist as of source date) suggest this is genuinely uncommon or has a restricted range compared to the widespread and abundant H. convergens.

Taxonomic Note

The was described by Mulsant in 1850, placing it among the earlier-described members of the Hippodamia.