Hippodamia quinquesignata ambigua

LeConte, 1852

Pacific Five-spotted Lady Beetle

Hippodamia quinquesignata ambigua is a of lady beetle in the Coccinellidae. It occurs in western North America, with records from the Pacific region and introduced in Hawaii. The is a , feeding primarily on aphids and other small soft-bodied insects.

Hippodamia quinquesignata ambigua by (c) Adam J. Searcy, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Adam J. Searcy. Used under a CC-BY license.Hippodamia quinquesignata ambigua by iNaturalist user: dominic. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Hippodamia quinquesignata ambigua: /ˌhɪpoʊˈdeɪmiə ˌkwɪŋkwiˌsɪɡˈneɪtə æmˈbɪɡjuə/

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Identification

This can be distinguished from other Hippodamia by the five-spotted elytral pattern. The specific subspecific characteristics separating H. quinquesignata ambigua from the nominate subspecies H. quinquesignata quinquesignata require examination of subtle morphological features, particularly in western versus eastern North American .

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Distribution

Western North America; recorded from Vermont and Hawaii as introduced or vagrant . GBIF records indicate presence in North America with specific locality data for Vermont and Hawaii.

Diet

feeding on aphids and other small soft-bodied insects.

Ecological Role

of aphids and other agricultural pests; used in programs.

Human Relevance

Member of Hippodamia that includes commercially available for of aphids. The convergent lady beetle (H. convergens), a , is widely used in .

Similar Taxa

  • Hippodamia convergensSimilar size and general appearance; distinguished by elytral pattern—H. convergens has converging pale markings on the pronotum forming a 'V' shape, while H. quinquesignata has five distinct spots on the .
  • Hippodamia quinquesignata quinquesignataNominate ; geographic separation with H. q. ambigua occurring in western North America and H. q. quinquesignata in eastern regions.

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