The body of the Ladybug has the shape of a hemisphere. It is flat below and strongly convex at the top. The size of this insect can range from 4 to 10 mm. The color of the Ladybug depends on its type - it can be from plain to very variegated. In total, there are more than 4,000 species of ladybird insects. The most common color is a red back with black dots, of which there can be from 2 to 22. The ladybug has six legs, two antennae, two large eyes, two wings and two elytra, which protect the main wings from damage on the ground when the ladybug doesn't fly.
Young individuals have brighter colors. It fades with age. Ladybugs' defense is a yellow, poisonous liquid with an unpleasant odor, which they release when danger arises.
Family: Ladybugs
Class: Insects
Order: Coleoptera
Type: Arthropods
Kingdom: Animals
Domain: Eukaryotes
Where does Ladybug live?
The ladybug insect is distributed throughout the world and such an insect can be found on all continents of the planet except Antarctica. Preferred places are clearings and meadows with herbaceous vegetation. But they can also be found in forests.
What does a ladybug eat?
Most ladybirds are predators, and only a few species are herbivores, which can only feed certain types plants. Predators feed on small insects such as aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, and can sometimes even attack caterpillars. They also eat not only these insects, but their eggs and larvae.
Lifestyle
Ladybugs live mostly solitary. In the warm season, they lead an active lifestyle, but in the cold season, on the contrary, they gather in groups and spend the winter under leaves or under stones, hibernating. In this case, the number of groups can reach large sizes, and all insects press tightly against each other. The lifespan of ladybugs ranges from several months to 2 years.
Reproduction
Ladybugs reproduce several times a year. The female lays 200 to 1,500 yellow eggs near a cluster of aphids or other ladybird food to provide food for her larvae.
Ladybug larvae have an elongated body, often gray in color, and develop from several weeks to 3 months. Just like their parents, the larvae eat a lot and are quite active.
The ladybug is considered a beneficial insect for humans as it eats harmful insects that can harm crops. In many names of these insects in other languages of the world there is a definition of divinity: “God's cattle”, “Lady's sheep”, “Ladybugs”, etc.
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What's interesting is that different languages The ladybug is called differently, but its name is always somehow connected with God. Among the Latvians, it is “marite” - named in honor of the virgin deity Mar, who is in charge of the earthly elements; among the Germans - “Marienkaefer” - the bug of the Virgin Mary; the French say - poulette a Dieu, which literally translates as “God's chicken”; and in English-speaking countries - Ladybug (Our Lady's bug), Ladybird (Our Lady's bird) or Lady-beetle (Our Lady's bee).
Why "God's"?
As legends that have survived to this day say, the ladybug lives in the sky, and not on Earth. Each time she comes down only to convey a message. As a rule, this is good news, for example, about the birth of a child, about rains for good harvest, about luck in the business you have started. If someone found a cow on their clothes, it was sure to be transplanted to right hand and while the insect was crawling, they talked about all the wishes, in the hope that the creature would convey them to Heaven. In no case should you offend, let alone kill, a ladybug; firstly, this can cause trouble, and secondly, it is a living, defenseless creature.
In one Slavic legend, the god Perun turned his unfaithful wife into a ladybug. Being incredibly angry with her, he threw lightning bolts after the insect and it hit exactly 7 times, leaving burnt marks on its back. But apparently he loved the traitor very much, since he still fulfills the requests of her descendants.
Another explanation lies in the peaceful appearance insect, its gullibility towards people and the absence of any aggression.
Although in fact this cute creature is a predator, and what a predator! An adult insect eats about 3,000 aphids, and a ladybug larva eats about 1,000 small green pests during its maturation. A real environmental weapon against aphids! It’s not for nothing that there are farms where ladybugs are bred. For example, in France you can even buy them at retail with delivery by mail. Red beetles, planted in fields and gardens, are a guaranteed protection of plants from annoying aphids, and this, in turn, could also be the reason for comparing the insect with God's grace.
What about "cow"?
It is impossible not to note some similarities between this insect and the cow. Its bright color, red with a black dot, resembles the color of spotted cows, which have long been common in Rus'. But besides this, the insect can also produce milk, although it is yellow, bitter and poisonous. Even the tarantula, known for its omnivory, avoids the ladybug.
You don't need to be an entomologist to have an idea of what a ladybug looks like. A small red bug with black dots is familiar to everyone since childhood and immediately catches the eye not only of humans, but also of representatives of the animal world.
Ladybugs are arthropod insects from the order Coleoptera; their front wings are transformed into hard elytra that cover the beetle from above like nutshells. A young individual is easily distinguished by its bright red or orange color; with age, the color of the elytra fades, but the number of black dots remains constant. The number of marks depends on the species of the insect. Today, scientists identify 360 genera of ladybugs, including about 4 thousand species, some of which are named by the number of black dots on the elytra.
Warning coloring is a special sign for birds and predators, meaning that there is a poisonous insect in front of them. In case of danger, these beetles release hemolymph from the joints of their legs - a substance that is deadly for many representatives of the fauna.
Seven-spotted ladybugs are the most common species, whose representatives inhabit the steppes, forests and gardens of Europe, Asia and North Africa, they were specially brought to North America to combat aphids, scale insects and other agricultural pests.
Seven-spotted ladybug on a blade of grass. The beetles grow up to 5 - 8 mm in length, their elytra are distinguished by a convex oval shape and a red or yellowish-orange color with 7 black dots: 3 on the elytra and one in the middle near the scutellum. Some individuals may have clearly visible white spots on the front of their heads.
Double-spotted elytra beetles are a typical European and North American species, also introduced to Australia as an effective biological agent. In 1991, the two-spotted ladybird was awarded the title of national insect of Latvia.
Adults are about 5 mm long. The color of the insects is usually bright red, with one black spot on each of the elytra. The pronotum (the segment between the head and the elytra) is black with a yellow border or yellow with a clearly visible letter “M” in the middle.
A species characteristic of Eurasia, the USA and Canada. The beetles, from 4.5 to 7 mm long, are distinguished by an elongated body, orange elytra and 13 black dots, which sometimes merge with each other.
Thirteen-spot ladybird (lat. Hippodamia tredecimpunctata). Fourteen-spotted ladybird
Representatives of the species are widespread in Europe, Asia and Africa. Insect elytra can be painted in two color variations: black spots on a yellow background and vice versa. The number of dots is always constant and amounts to 14 pieces, some of which merge and form a bizarre, characteristic pattern with clear geometry.
Fourteen-spotted ladybug (Propylea quatuordecimpunctata). Alfalfa twenty-four-spot ladybird
The natural range of these beetles is in Europe and Asia; insects were brought to North America by humans. Unlike most ladybugs, these beetles are not predators, but typical phytophages that prefer to feed on the green mass of plants, especially alfalfa, soapwort and cloves.
A small beetle, 3-4 mm long, colored red with 24 black spots randomly scattered across the elytra.
Twenty-eight-spotted potato ladybug (epilachna)
Another vegetarian among the cows, preferring potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes and melons to aphids. Representatives of the species are found in the Far East, China, Korea and Japan. The beetle grows up to 5 mm in length, and its red wing covers are decorated with 28 black dots.
Twenty-eight-spotted potato ladybug (epilachna).
A member of the family that prefers to live in coniferous forests. The yellow or pale red elytra of insects contain about 10 black spots each, surrounded by a light border. The spots resemble an eye in appearance; they can be clearly defined, sometimes they blur or disappear altogether. Ocellated ladybugs can grow up to 1 cm in length.
Ocellated ladybug (lat. Anatis ocellata).
A European species introduced to North America. The beetles get their name from the variability of their black spots. Orange elytra usually have 6 black dots and one scute, which may merge with each other or be completely absent. The body length of the variable ladybird is from 3 to 5.5 mm.
Variable ladybird (Hippodamia variegata). See also: Asian ladybug: life cycle (+ photo).
See also:
Time-lapse footage of a ladybug folding its wings
Scientists from the University of Tokyo were able to uncover the secret of the folding hind wings of ladybirds, finding that not only the already well-studied “hydraulic drive” with a network of blood vessels, but also the elytra with the abdomen are directly involved in this process. The researchers' work was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and a brief summary of it is given by Phys.org.
When moving on their paws, ladybugs are able to compactly fold their wings under their hard elytra to protect them from damage. When it is necessary to take off, the rear membranous wings expand in an average of 0.1 seconds. This mechanism has been well studied because ladybugs raise their elytra before spreading their wings.
The membranous hind wings of beetles under the elytra are folded like origami and are penetrated by a network of vessels filled with liquid. Before takeoff, the ladybug raises its elytra and tenses the muscles of the third thoracic segment, increasing the fluid pressure in the vessels of the flying wings. As a result, the elasticity of the blood vessels increases and the wing straightens.
Scientists have never been able to see in detail the process of folding a wing. The fact is that after landing, the ladybug folds its elytra and only after that begins to retract its hind wings, actively helping itself with its abdomen. On average, beetles take about two seconds to fold their flight wings.
To study the process of folding wings, scientists used the seven-spotted ladybird ( Coccinella septempunctata). Part of her right hard elytra was removed. The removed section was then used as a tool to create a replica of it in clear UV-curable acrylic resin. An acrylic replica of the elytra was then glued onto the remainder of the ladybug's elytra.
The researchers took rapid photographs of the beetle and also examined a remote section of the elytra under a microscope. It turned out that the inner side of the elytra has a relief corresponding to the pattern of the vessels of the flying wing. In addition, on the inside of the elytra there is a kind of “Velcro” - areas covered with tiny bristles that hold the folded wing.
Sequence of folding wings of a ladybug
Kazuya Saito/University of Tokyo
Similar “Velcro” strips are located on the upper side of the abdomen. It turned out that after landing, the ladybug folds its elytra, and then begins to tuck and straighten its abdomen. At this moment, the pressure in the blood vessels decreases. When the abdomen is pressed for the first time, the vessels are placed in their corresponding recesses on the inner side of the elytra.
After the abdomen relaxes, it slides along the underside of the hind wings. Then the ladybug again strains its abdomen, which, tucking up, picks up its wings and tucks them under the elytra. In this case, the transparent membranes between the vessels act as guides when folding the wing.
As scientists note, unlike origami itself, the wings of a ladybug do not fold at sharp angles, but seem to twist. Thanks to this, they are probably preserved mechanical strength. In addition, twisting allows you to avoid kinking of blood vessels and their overlap due to deformation.
Thus, by contracting and relaxing the abdomen, the ladybug achieves complete folding of the hind wings under the elytra. Researchers believe that the folded elastic wings begin to act as a kind of compressed spring. When raising their elytra inner part the rear fenders stop clinging and they, like a spring, begin to straighten out. The straightening process is then picked up by “hydraulics”.
Part of the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter wing folding mechanism
polepositionimagery.com.au
Japanese scientists believe that studying the mechanisms of spreading and folding the wings of ladybugs and some other beetles will make it possible to find better technical solutions for creating folding mechanisms for various equipment, beginning solar panels and antennas of satellites and ending with the wings of carrier-based aircraft.
Currently, wing folding and unfolding mechanisms similar to those of beetles do not exist. The mechanisms used on deck aircraft are a set of hydraulic drives and locks. The wing of a carrier-based aircraft has a hinge-hinged bend at some distance from its root.
Special pumps, pumping up pressure in the hydraulic system, force the mechanism drive to expand or fold the wing. In extreme positions the wing is fixed. The folding wing is used on carrier-based aircraft to save space so that they can be more compactly placed in hangars or deck parking areas.
In early February of this year, researchers from NASA and Brigham Young University designed a folding radiator for cooling small artificial Earth satellites. This radiator folds and unfolds according to the origami principle. The device will control the level of heat transfer by adjusting the depth of the folds: the higher it is, the more heat the device will absorb.
Vasily Sychev
Ladybug (lat. Coccinellidae) belongs to the family of beetles, a type of arthropod, a class of insects. When a person sees an insect, he involuntarily has a reaction - to slam it as quickly as possible, but the ladybug evokes sympathy in almost everyone, even women. Some remember the children's song associated with her, others remember that she really helps them out. summer cottage– saves the garden from pests. What is the secret of everyone’s sympathy for this beetle? In some cultures it is forbidden to kill a ladybug, and in the Western part it is generally considered a symbol of good luck. Let's consider the characteristics and lifestyle of this insect, as well as the benefits and harms it can bring.
Today, no more than 200 insect formations have been studied on the planet, but the number of species is limitless. The ladybug is a representative of the coccinellid family, has over 4000 types and 360 genera, belongs to the order Coleoptera of the arthropod type. Distinctive feature from other relatives they have seemingly three-part paws. This is due to the small third segment, which is visually hidden with half of the fourth pedicle in the sinus of the bilobed process.
The average size of a ladybug is from 4 mm to 10 mm. The structure of the body is rounded, ovoid, flattened below and convex above. Sometimes the surface is covered with thin fibers. Consists of a head, pronotum, and chest, which is divided into three parts:
- paws;
- abdomen;
- wings with wing covers.
The head is monolithically connected to the prothorax, everything looks like an enlarged cephalothorax. It makes up the main part of the body length, sometimes found in an elongated oval shape. The eyes are relatively large. The antennae are well flexible and consist of 8-11 segments.
Has rigid expressive elytra. Essentially these are the front flight organs. Over time, the ladybug's wings transformed. On the ground they perform a protective function. With the help of two rear processes, it flies, and it turns out quite well. Interesting fact is that various birds and many vertebrates hesitate to hunt it. They don’t have time to catch it, because the insect makes about 85 strokes per second.
Why is the ladybug called that?
Where it got its name from remains an open question to this day. The scientific terminology is coccinellida, the word itself comes from the Latin meaning "scarlet". Many ethnic groups have their own versions of names, for example:
- among the Germanic peoples - the “Virgin Mary” bug;
- among the Anglo-Saxons - “Lady bird”;
- among the Slavic - “Sun”;
- among Latin Americans - “St. Anthony’s cow”;
- among Asians it is “red-bearded grandfather”.
There are long-standing legends about why the ladybug is called that, let's look at some of them.
She was personified with the heavenly herd of Perun, connected the omnipotent gods and mortal people, and was attributed to her magical abilities influence the weather. The Catholic faith considered her a messenger of the Mother of God. The British also associate their names with the Virgin Mary.
The ancient Slavs considered her the messenger of the sun. It was impossible to drive away the heavenly creature, so as not to turn away fortune. A beetle that flew into a home was considered to bring peace and grace, so they called it that way - “Sun”. The very word “God’s” symbolized among the Russian ethnic group a trusting believer. The beetle was compared to a harmless creature.
But more likely the word “lady” is associated with a physiological feature of the insect. It secretes milk, but it is far from usual - a red aggressive liquid formed in the spores of the limbs. The discharge is extremely unpleasant, large quantities deadly for those who decide to feast on it.
Types of ladybugs
The ladybug is not necessarily red, but its coloring is in the form of dots. They may be absent altogether; there may be stripes, patterned spots, or commas on the shell. The most common type is the seven-spotted beetle. It lives almost throughout Europe, its dimensions reach 7 mm, the elytra are burgundy, there are two light-colored spots at the base, one dark one is visible on the pronotum, and there are three specks on the elytra.
They are also divided according to the number of dots and color:
- two-spotted, usually 5mm dark scarlet individuals with 2 large black markings;
- duodenal up to 6 mm, have pinkish elytra, on which 6 pieces are observed;
- thirteen-spotted up to 7 mm, with brownish wings;
- fourteen-spotted - with a yellow color and black spots on them or vice versa;
- seventeen-point identical colors measuring from 2.5 to 3.5 mm;
- variable, with a black pronotum with 2 brownish spots, contrasting markings at the base of the yellowish-red elytra;
- blue ones are found on the Australian mainland and have a beautiful tint of blue and green tones;
- white or light gray - up to 15 marks, less common, like brown plain ones.
Bright warning coloration of a ladybug
The ladybug is endowed with bright colors, which help in the struggle for existence and strike fear into enemies, most often birds. This is one example of mimicry, like the green color of grasshoppers or the ability of a chameleon to merge with environment for the purpose of self-preservation.
The striking colors of the natural wild world serve as warning signals about the toxicity and inedibility of the observed prey. There is a theory that the brighter the color of the beetle, the less likely it is to be attacked by enemies. Expressive color various types ladybug speaks of mortal danger. As individuals age, it fades.
Ladybugs live almost all over the world except northern latitudes. Their life cycle depends on the availability of food. The active stage occurs during the extermination of aphids, the main diet of these insects, i.e. from spring to autumn. They live from a couple of months to one year, and occasionally last up to two.
A solitary lifestyle is acceptable to them; they settle in groups for wintering or for mating. They feel comfortable in open areas with grassy vegetation on:
- the edges of the forest;
- steppes, meadows;
- gardens
In search of food, they crawl through plants, periodically flying over long distances. They do this easily and silently. But as long as an individual lives, it always wakes up early and works all day, destroying pests. It is thermophilic, the optimal temperature for it is +10 C, during other periods it spends the winter.
How and where do ladybugs overwinter?
When cold weather sets in, sedentary varieties of ladybirds gather in large groups, sometimes up to millions of individuals. In winter, they look for secluded places, hiding under the remains of falling leaves, dry wood, stones, where they wait for the arrival of warmth. They can fly indoors, hide between window frames, folds of curtains, and arrange nesting sites among trees.
There are species of beetles that fly away in flocks to winter in southern latitudes. IN Lately The features of adaptation to the environment were not only bright colors or toxic liquid released in case of danger. Their group aggregations are becoming more and more observed. This is still inexplicable, but the spectacle is colorful.
If “sleepy colonies” are discovered, do not disturb them. It’s better to think about how many pests will be destroyed in the future. Move them to a comfortable place, having previously collected them in a jar, let them calmly finish their hibernation.
What do ladybugs eat? Are they predators?
A characteristic feature of insects of the order Coleoptera is the gnawing type of mouthparts. Ladybug has similar anatomical characteristics. Structure digestive system originates from the mouth opening of the head and ends on the abdomen with the anal passage. The intestinal canal runs between them. This allows the insect to consume complex molecular food with a high energy reserve when feeding.
Simply put, the coccinellid is a predator; it eats its own kind. Diet preferences are given to:
- spider mites;
- small caterpillars;
- eggs of butterflies, Colorado beetles;
- larvae of insect pests.
There is also a species that feeds plant foods: pollen, flowers and leaves, mycelium, fruits.
Ladybugs reproduce several times a year, in spring or autumn. In temperate latitudes this is the beginning of May. The female becomes sexually mature at the age of 3-6 months. As a rule, after a cold period, she is able to emit a pungent odor that attracts males. After laying eggs it dies.
The female places eggs on vegetation with an abundance of aphids, which provides advance food for future offspring. They have an elongated shape, narrowed towards the end, and are colored yellowish-orange. One clutch can number from several to 400 pieces, arranged in even rows, close to each other. Sometimes they can be eaten by their own relatives, the so-called cannibal larvae.
Ladybug larvae - what do they look like?
Further development occurs over 4-7 days and has several stages. The larvae are oval in appearance. They look colorful due to yellow-orange spots that form a certain pattern. Body surface with bristles, peculiar outgrowths. Newborn ladybugs that feed on scale insects are covered with whitish, waxy threads. Everything grows in 2-4 weeks.
After this stage comes the moment of pupation. To move into it, the individual attaches the back of the body to the leaf plate and curls into a semi-bent position. At the end of the internal transformation, the skins peel off from the pupa, sliding like a stocking to the end of the abdomen. It does not lose its bright color with black and yellow specks. Next, from 7 to 10 days, an adult is formed.
The benefits and harms of ladybug
The boundless gluttony of this predatory beetle brings great benefits to homesteads and agricultural crops, because it eats aphids. While in the larval stage, the coccinellid consumes up to 50 prey per day. An adult insect eats up to 100 aphids. They help plants by clearing crops of pests. Therefore, they are even bred at specialized enterprises, and then distributed over the fields with the help of aviation.
But harm can be caused by herbivorous species of these beetles; their habitats are in Asia. There they cause significant damage to crops. In our area, some harm vegetables: potatoes, sugar beets, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Enemies of ladybugs
How many species of ladybugs, numbering thousands, would not exist; the insect has long been placed on the pages of the Red Book of not only Russia, but also the planet. They don't have many enemies. Birds, frogs, lizards try to eat them, but innate effective means protections prevent them from becoming food for many.
Indirect factors of extinction are human impact on the natural environment. There is a massive destruction of aphids, on whose populations the existence of the beetle depends. General environmental pollution is also destructive for all animals.
The ladybug is an ancient insect. This is not the only reason why the law protects it from extermination. Mass extinctions will lead to a deterioration in the condition of not only cultivated vegetation, but also the entire nature. To maintain balance, humanity needs to be more attentive to this problem.