Nephus (Nephus) voeltzkowi is a species of ladybug belonging to the family Coccinellidae naturally occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mascarene archipelagos, and the Azores islands, but also found in the United States (Florida).[1] This species exhibits the first case of parthenogenesis in ladybugs.[2]
| Nephus voeltzkowi | |
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| Nephus voeltzkowi on a 1 euro coin | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Coccinellidae |
| Genus: | Nephus |
| Species: | N. voeltzkowi
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| Binomial name | |
| Nephus voeltzkowi Weise, 1910
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| Synonyms | |
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Description
editNephus voeltzkowi can reach a length of 1.65 millimetres (0.065 in) and feeds on mealybugs. Elytra are black, each with one yellowish big oval spot. The body is oval-shaped with short fine whitish pubescence.[3]
Parthenogenesis
editMost known populations of Nephus voeltzkowi are bisexual, but several female-only populations were found capable of parthenogenesis.[2]
References
edit- ^ Magro, A.; Almeida, L.M.; Churata-Salcedo, J.; Hemptinne, Jean-Louis (2021). "New synonym of Nephus (Nephus) voeltzkowi Weise (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), with comments on the origin of a Neartic population and its possible asexual status". Zootaxa. 4949 (1): 198–200. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4949.1.13. PMID 33757004. S2CID 232339503.
- ^ a b Magro, A.; Lecompte, E.; Hemptinne, JL.; Soares, A.O.; Dutrillaux, Anne-Marie; Murienne, J.; Fürsch, H.; Dutrillaux, B. (2020). "First case of parthenogenesis in ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) suggests new mechanisms for the evolution of asexual reproduction". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 58: 194–208. doi:10.1111/jzs.12339. S2CID 209588586.
- ^ Magro, A.; Churata-Salcedo, J.; Lecompte, E.; Hemptinne, JL.; Almeida, L.M. (2020). "A new species of Nephus (Nephus) (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) described from Reunion Island". ZooKeys (962): 123–137. Bibcode:2020ZooK..962..123M. doi:10.3897/zookeys.962.51520. PMC 7452912. PMID 32904313.
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