Illeis galbula, the fungus-eating ladybird, is a species of beetle in the family Coccinellidae.

Illeis galbula
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Coccinellidae
Genus: Illeis
Species:
I. galbula
Binomial name
Illeis galbula
(Mulsant, 1850)
Synonyms[1]

Description

edit

Adults are 4-5mm in size, while the larvae are between 8 and 10mm.[2] Adults are black with bright yellow markings.[3] Larvae are grey with black tubercles covered with short spines.[3] The pupa is pale yellow with black tubercles and lateral spurs.[3]

Behaviour

edit

During the day it is fast moving and readily flies or drops when disturbed.[2] The pupa are active and often stand on end.[2] Adult and larval fungus-eating ladybirds are often found in gardens where they eat powdery mildew on cucurbit crops like pumpkin and zucchini.[4] In Australia, overwintering adults feed on pollen of wattles and privet species during spring.[3]

Distribution

edit

This species is native to Eastern Australia.[3] Fungus-eating ladybirds are a non-native species in the North Island of New Zealand, first introduced to Auckland in 1985.[3] They are also found in New Guinea.[3]

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Illeis galbula". Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  2. ^ a b c "Fungus-eating Ladybird - Illeis galbula". Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g N A Martin (2017). "Fungus-eating ladybird - Illeis (Leptothea) galbula". Landcare Research. Retrieved 2021-02-18..
  4. ^ Crowe, A. (2002). Which New Zealand Insect?. Auckland, N.Z.: Penguin. p. 47. ISBN 0-14-100636-6.