Micraspis discolor is a species of ladybird.[1] It was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1798.[2] It is widespread throughout Asia, North America and parts of Oceania.

Micraspis discolor
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Coccinellidae
Subfamily: Coccinellinae
Tribe: Coccinellini
Genus: Micraspis
Species:
M. discolor
Binomial name
Micraspis discolor
( Fabricius, 1798)
Synonyms
  • Coccinella discolor Fabricius, 1798
  • Verania discolor (Fabricius, 1798)

Distribution

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It is found in Bangladesh, China, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Vietnam, United States, Hawaii and Tonga.[3]

Description

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Body length is 5 to 6 mm. Adult has a reddish orange body which is oval in shape. There are black stripes on elytra.[4]

Biology

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It is one of the most common lady beetle found in rice ecosystems particularly during flowering and feeds on pollen.[5][6] The species can be used as a bio-control agent for brown planthopper. It is found as both entomophagous and phytophagous species of beetle.[7]

Both adult beetles and nymphs are voracious predators on several pests such as, Aphis craccivora, Aphis gossypii, Aphis spiraecola, Leptocorisa acuta, Myzus persicae, Nephotettix cincticeps, Opisina arenosella, Pentalonia nigronervosa and Sogatella furcifera.[3][8][9][10]

References

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  1. ^ "Micraspis discolor (Fabricius, 1798)". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  2. ^ "Micraspis discolor (Fabricius, 1798)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Micraspis discolor". www.cabi.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  4. ^ "Predatory Coccinellids (Coleoptera: Cocinellidae) of vegetable insect pests: a survey in mid country of Sri Lanka" (PDF). Tropical Agricultural Research Vol: 19, 69-77 (2007). Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  5. ^ Poorani, J. (January 2002). "An annotated checklist of the Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) (excluding Epilachninae) of the Indian Subregion". Oriental Insects. 36: 307–383. doi:10.1080/00305316.2002.10417335. S2CID 86769172. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  6. ^ Poorani, J. (2014-12-11). "An unusual new species of Micraspis Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from northeastern India". Biodiversity Data Journal. 2 (2): e4112. doi:10.3897/BDJ.2.e4112. PMC 4238069. PMID 25425937. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  7. ^ Shanker, C.; Mohan, M.; Sampathkumar, M.; Lydia, Ch; Katti, G. (2013). "Functional significance of Micraspis discolor (F.) (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera) in rice ecosystem". Journal of Applied Entomology. 137 (8): 601–609. doi:10.1111/jen.12035. S2CID 84532073. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  8. ^ Rattanapun, W. (2012). "Biology and potentiality in biological control of Micraspis discolor (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)". Communications in Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences. 77 (4): 541–548. PMID 23885421. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  9. ^ Omkar; Pervez, Ahmad (March 2002). "Influence of Temperature on Age-Specific Fecundity of the Ladybeetle Micraspis discolor (Fabricius)". International Journal of Tropical Insect Science. 22: 61–65. doi:10.1017/S174275840001506X. hdl:1807/146. S2CID 84799558. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  10. ^ "Bean aphid predation efficiency of lady bird beetle Micraspis discolor F.(Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)". CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1072.7399.