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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 106 – October 2013

Family Coccinellidae (Ladybird Beetles) in Palestine

خنافس الدعسوقة في فلسطين

By: Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Khalaf- Sakerfalke von Jaffa

The Beetles comprise an order of insects characterized by complete

metamorphosis (including a pupal stage between the larval and adult stages), biting-chewing mouth parts, and two pairs of wings, of which the hind pair are membranous and used for flight and the front pair (elytra) are sturdy and used for protection. The approximately 350,000 known species of beetles in the world comprise the largest animal group in existence. Only 1% of this number, about 3,500 species, are found in Palestine. These species represent a wide variety of families, shapes, colours and modes of life. Many species are harmful to crops and stored products, including food, while others are beneficial to mankind through preying on agricultural pests or by recycling waste products. Due to the hardness of their bodies and their tremendous resistance, variety of shapes, range of size (from 1-160 mm) and amazing colours, the beetles are a favourite group for many amateur entomologists and collectors (Boeliem, 2008). As a result of their habitat destruction, several species in Palestine have become extinct, such as some of the large water beetles; while others are endangered.

7-Spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) from Palestine. Photo by Zachi Evenor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:7-Spotted-Ladybird-Wiki-Zachi-Evenor-0119.jpg

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The Coccinellidae are a family of small beetles, ranging from 1 to 10 mm (0.04

to 0.4 inches). They are commonly yellow, orange, or scarlet with small black spots on their wing covers, with black legs, heads and antennae. Such colour patterns vary greatly, however; for example, a minority of species, such as Vibidia duodecimguttata, a twelve-spotted species, have whitish spots on a brown background. Coccinellids are found worldwide, with over 5,000 species described (Wikipedia). About 70 species of ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) are known in Palestine, and many of them help to regulate pest populations. Both in Palestine and abroad, some of the species are employed for biological control of pests. At the end of spring the beetles migrate to mountain tops, such as Mount Hermon (Jabal Al Shaykh) and Mount Meron (Jabal Al Jarmaq), where they mass together. At the beginning of the following spring they migrate back to the low-lying areas - a phenomenon that has not yet been fully studied (Boeliem, 2008).

14-Spot Ladybird Beetle (Propylea quattuordecimpunctata) from Palestine. Photo by Oz

Rittner. http://www.nature-of-oz.com/coccinellidae.htm

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Coccinellidae are known colloquially as ladybirds (in Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth), ladybugs (in North America) or lady cows, among other names. When they need to use a common name, entomologists widely prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as these insects are not true bugs

(Wikipedia).

The Coccinellidae are generally considered useful insects, because many species feed on aphids or scale insects, which are pests in gardens, agricultural fields, orchards, and similar places. Within the colonies of such plant-eating pests, they will lay hundreds of eggs, and when these hatch the larvae will commence feeding immediately. However, some species do have unwelcome effects. Among these, the most prominent are the subfamily Epilachninae, which are plant eaters. Usually, Epilachninae are only mild agricultural pests, eating the leaves of grain, potatoes, beans, and various other crops, but their numbers can increase explosively in years when their natural enemies are few, such as parasitoid wasps that attack their eggs. When that happens, they can do major crop damage. They occur in practically all the major crop-producing regions of temperate and tropical countries (Wikipedia).

18-Spot Ladybird Beetle (Myrrha octodecimguttata) from Palestine. Photo by Oz Rittner.

http://www.nature-of-oz.com/coccinellidae.htm

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Etymology

Coccinelid is derived from the Latin word coccineus meaning "scarlet". The name "ladybird" originated in Britain where the insects became known as 'Our Lady's bird or the Lady beetle. Mary (Our Lady) was often depicted wearing a red cloak in early paintings, and the spots of the seven-spot ladybird (the most common in Europe) were said to symbolise her seven joys and seven sorrows. In the United States, the name was adapted to "ladybug". Common names in other European languages have the same association, for example, the German name “Marienkäfer” translates to “Marybeetle” (Wikipedia). The Arabic name “Um Ali” أم علي translates to “Mother of Ali”. In some Arabic countries it is called “Abu Ali” أبو علي (Father of Ali) or “Um Sulayman” أم سليمان (Mother of Solomon).

The Cream-Streaked Ladybird or 4-Spot Ladybird Beetle (Harmonia quadripunctata) from

Palestine. Photo by Oz Rittner. http://www.nature-of-oz.com/coccinellidae.htm

Physical Appearance

Most coccinellids have oval, dome-shaped bodies with six short legs. Depending on the species, they can have spots, stripes, or no markings at all. Seven-spotted coccinellids are red or orange with three spots on each side and one in the middle; they have a black head with white patches on each side (Wikipedia).

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As well as the usual yellow and scarlet colorings, many coccinellid species are mostly, or entirely, black, grey, or brown, and may be difficult for non-entomologists to recognise as coccinellids at all. Conversely, non-entomologists might easily mistake many other small beetles for coccinellids. For example, the tortoise beetles, like the ladybird beetles, look similar because they are shaped so that they can cling to a flat surface so closely that ants and many other enemies cannot grip them (Wikipedia).

Black Sign Louse Ladybird Beetle (Exochomus nigromaculatus) from Palestine. Photo

by Oz Rittner. http://www.nature-of-oz.com/coccinellidae.htm

Non-entomologists are prone to misidentify a wide variety of beetle species in other families as "ladybirds", i.e. coccinellids. Beetles are particularly prone to such misidentification if they are spotted in red, orange or yellow and black. Examples include the much larger scarabaeid grapevine beetles and spotted species of the Chrysomelidae, Melyridae and others. Conversely, laymen may fail to identify unmarked species of Coccinellidae as "ladybirds". Other beetles that have a defensive hemispherical shape, like that of the Coccinellidae, (for example the Cassidinae), also are often taken for ladybirds (Wikipedia).

A common myth, totally unfounded, is that the number of spots on the insect's back indicates its age. In fact, the number, shape, and placement of the spots all

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are determined by the species of the beetle, and are fixed by the time it emerges from its pupa. The same applies to the colour, except it may take some days for the colour of the adult beetle to mature and stabilise. Generally, the mature colour tends to be fuller and darker than the colour of the callow (Wikipedia).

Spotted Amber Ladybird Beetle (Adonia variegate) from Palestine. http://www.nature-of-

oz.com/coccinellidae.htm

Biology

Coccinellids are best known as predators of Sternorrhyncha such as aphids and scale insects, but the range of prey species that various Coccinellidae may attack is much wider. A genus of small black ladybirds, Stethorus, presents one example of predation on non-Sternorrhyncha; they specialise in mites as prey, notably

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Tetranychus spider mites. Stethorus species accordingly are important in certain examples of biological control (Wikipedia).

Various larger species of Coccinellidae attack caterpillars and other beetle larvae. Several genera feed on various insects or their eggs; for example, Coleomegilla species are significant predators of the eggs and larvae of moths such as species of Spodoptera and the Plutellidae. Larvae and eggs of ladybirds, either their own or of other species, can also be important food resources when alternative prey are scarce. As a family, the Coccinellidae used to be regarded as purely carnivorous, but they are now known to be far more omnivorous than previously thought, both as a family and in individual species; examination of gut contents of apparently specialist predators commonly yield residues of pollen and other plant materials. Besides the prey they favour, most predatory coccinellids include other items in their diets, including honeydew, pollen, plant sap, nectar, and various fungi. The significance of such nonprey items in their diets is still under investigation and discussion (Wikipedia).

Nile Striped Ladybird Beetle (Cheilomenes propinqua nilotica) from Palestine. Photo

by Oz Rittner. http://www.nature-of-oz.com/coccinellidae.htm

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Apart from the generalist aphid and scale predators and incidental substances of botanical origin, many Coccinellidae do favour or even specialise in certain prey types. This makes some of them particularly valuable as agents in biological control programmes. Determination of specialisation need not be a trivial matter, though; for example the larva of the Vedalia ladybird Rodolia cardinalis is a specialist predator on a few species of Monophlebidae, in particular Icerya purchasi, which is the most notorious of the cottony cushion scale species. However, the adult R. cardinalis can subsist for some months on a wider range of insects plus some nectar (Wikipedia).

Certain species of coccinellids are thought to lay extra infertile eggs with the fertile eggs, apparently to provide a backup food source for the larvae when they hatch. The ratio of infertile to fertile eggs increases with scarcity of food at the time of egg laying. Such a strategy amounts to the production of trophic eggs (Wikipedia).

Some species in the subfamily Epilachninae are herbivores, and can be very destructive agricultural pests (e.g., the Mexican bean beetle). Again, in the subfamily Coccinellinae, members of the tribe Halyziini and the genus Tythaspis are mycophagous (Wikipedia).

Spherical or Bullet Ladybird Beetle (Oenopia conglobata) from Palestine. Photo by Oz

Rittner. http://www.nature-of-oz.com/coccinellidae.htm

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While predatory species are often used as biological control agents, introduced species of coccinellids are not necessarily benign. Species such as Harmonia axyridis or Coccinella septempunctata in North America outcompete and displace native coccinellids and become pests themselves (Wikipedia).

The main predators of coccinellids are usually birds, but they are also the prey of frogs, wasps, spiders, and dragonflies. The bright colours of many coccinellids discourage some potential predators from making a meal of them. This phenomenon, called aposematism, works because predators learn by experience to associate certain prey phenotypes with a bad taste. A further defence, known as "reflex bleeding", exists in which an alkaloid toxin is exuded through the joints of the exoskeleton, triggered by mechanical stimulation (such as by predator attack) in both larval and adult beetles, deterring feeding (Wikipedia).

Coccinellids in temperate regions enter diapause during the winter, so they often are among the first insects to appear in the spring. Some species (e.g., Hippodamia convergens) gather into groups and move to higher elevations, such as a mountain, to enter diapause. Most coccinellids overwinter as adults, aggregating on the south sides of large objects such as trees or houses during the winter months, dispersing in response to increasing day length in the spring (Wikipedia).

Heather Ladybird Beetle (Chilocorus bipustulatus) from Palestine. Photo by Oz Rittner.

http://www.nature-of-oz.com/coccinellidae.htm

Predatory coccinellids are usually found on plants which harbour their prey. They lay their eggs near their prey, to increase the likelihood the larvae will find the prey easily. In Harmonia axyridis, eggs hatch in three to four days from clutches numbering from a few to several dozen. Depending on resource

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availability, the larvae pass through four instars over 10–14 days, after which pupation occurs. After a teneral period of several days, the adults become reproductively active and are able to reproduce again, although they may become reproductively quiescent if eclosing late in the season. Total life span is one to two years on average (Wikipedia).

Ladybird Beetle (Nephus biflammulatus Motschulsky, 1837) from Palestine.

http://www.nature-of-oz.com/coccinellidae.htm

7-Spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) from Palestine. Photo by Oz Rittner.

http://www.nature-of-oz.com/coccinellidae.htm

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The Seven-Spot Ladybird Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus, 1758)

is one of the most common, familiar and congenial beetles in Palestine. Its elytra are of a red colour, but punctuated with three black spots each, with one further spot being spread over the junction of the two, making a total of seven spots, from which the species derives both its common and scientific names (from the Latin septem = "seven" and punctus = "spot"). In addition to its hemispherical shape (with a length of 5-8 cm) and bright colours (that warn predators of their poisonous nature) the ladybird is exceptional in its voracity for aphids, a group of insects that includes many agricultural pests. One beetle (during both larval and adult stages) can eat thousands of aphids within its lifetime (Boeliem, 2008).

Their distinctive spots and attractive colours apparently make them unappealing to predators. The species can secrete a fluid from joints in their legs which gives them a foul taste. A threatened ladybird beetle may both play dead and secrete the unappetising substance to protect itself. The seven-spot ladybird synthesizes the toxic alkaloids, N-oxide coccinelline and its free base precoccinelline; depending on sex and diet, the spot size and coloration can provide some indication of how toxic the individual bug is to potential predators (Wikipedia).

The 7-Spot Ladybird Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) Israeli Stamp from 1994.

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-99015254/stock-photo-israel-circa-an-used-israeli-

postage-stamp-showing-red-ladybird-with-inscription-quot.html

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In Popular Culture

Coccinellids are, and have been for very many years, a favourite insect of children. The insects had many regional names (now mostly disused) in English, such as the lady-cows, may-bug, golden-knop, golden-bugs (Wikipedia).

Many cultures consider coccinellids lucky and have nursery rhymes or local names for the insects that reflect this. For instance, the Turkish name for the insect is uğur böceği, literally meaning "good luck bug". In many countries, including Russia, Turkey, and Italy, the sight of a coccinellid is either a call to make a wish or a sign that a wish will soon be granted (Wikipedia).

In Christian areas, coccinellids are often associated with the Virgin Mary and the name that the insect bears in the various languages of Europe corresponds to this. Though historically many European languages referenced Freyja, the fertility goddess of Norse mythology, in the names, the Virgin Mary has now largely supplanted her, so that, for example, freyjuhœna (Old Norse) and Frouehenge have been changed into marihøne (Norwegian) and Marienkäfer (German), which corresponds with Our Lady's bird. Sometimes, the insect is referred to as belonging directly to God (Irish bóín Dé, Polish boża krówka, all meaning "God's [little] cow"). In Dutch it is called lieveheersbeestje, meaning "little animal of our Good Lord" (Wikipedia).

In both Hebrew and Yiddish, it is called "Moshe Rabbenu's (i.e. Moses's) little cow" or "little horse", apparently an adaptation from Slavic languages. Occasionally, it is called "little Messiah" (Wikipedia).

The Arabic name “Um Ali” أم علي translates to “Mother of Ali”. In some Arabic countries it is called “Abu Ali” أبو علي (Father of Ali) or “Um Sulayman” أم سليمان

(Mother of Solomon).

The Seven-spotted Ladybird Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) Qatari Stamp from

20.07.1998. http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ch2m-nitu/qatare.htm

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References and Internet Websites

14 Spot ladybird - Propylea quattuordecimpunctata. http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/14-spot-ladybird

Adonia variegata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) bears maternally inherited flavobacteria that kill males only. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10028525

Boeliem (2008). Beetles. Israeli Stamps. http://www.boeliem.com/content/1994/487.html#487c

Cambefort, Yves. Beetles as Religious Symbols. http://www.insects.org/ced1/beetles_rel_sym.html Cheilomenes propinqua nilotica. http://eol.org/pages/13863497/overview

Coccinella septempunctata Sevenspotted Lady Beetle. http://eol.org/pages/1174745/details

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Granberry, Michael (March 23, 1993). Beetles Imported to Battle Whiteflies : Agriculture: Imperial Valley farmers hope the pest that has devastated their crops will be devoured by little brown insects from Israel. Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1993-03-23/news/mn-14191_1_silverleaf-whiteflies

Harmonia quadripunctata Cream-streaked Ladybird Beetle. http://eol.org/pages/1174379/overview

Heather Ladybird (Chilocorus bipustulatus). http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/123596-Chilocorus-bipustulatus

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Environmental Education / Children for Nature Protection. In Cooperation with Dept. of General and Higher Education. P.L.O., Palestine. Number 4. Huzairan (June) 1994. pp. 16-21. (In Arabic). Khalaf, Norman Ali Bassam (2001). The Extinct and Endangered Animals in Palestine. In: Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin Home Page. Extinct and Endangered Animals and Reintroduction. http://gazelle.8m.net/photo3.html Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2004). Gazelle: Das Palästinensische Biologische Bulletin. Eine Wissenschaftliche Reise in Palästina, Arabien und Europa zwischen 1983 – 2004. / Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. A Scientific Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1983 – 2004. Erste Auflage / First Edition, Juli 2004: 452 Seiten / Pages. Zweite erweiterte Auflage (Second Extended Edition), August 2004: 460 Seiten / Pages. Norman Ali Khalaf, Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany. http://dr-norman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/

Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (Gründer) (seit Juni 2007). Yahoo! Deutschland Group: Fauna Palaestina. http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/Fauna_Palaestina/ Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (Gründer) (seit September 2007). Yahoo! Deutschland Group: Fauna Arabica. http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/Fauna_Arabica/ Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2007). Haywanat Filistin (Fauna of Palestine). Wikipedia, Al-Mawsu'a Al-Hurra (The Free Encyclopedia). Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Number 69, Twenty-fifth Year, September 2007 CE, Sha‟ban 1428 AH. pp. 1-4. (in Arabic). http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86 Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2009). Flora and Fauna in Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 91, July 2009, Rajab 1430 AH. pp. 1-31. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://flora-fauna-palestine.webs.com/ Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Norman Ali Bassam (2009). Fauna Palaestina – Part One. A Zoological Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1983 – 2006 / Fauna Palaestina – Teil Eins. Eine Zoologische Reise in Palästina, Arabien und Europa zwischen 1983 – 2006. ISBN 978-9948-03-865-8. Erste Auflage/First Edition, September 2009: 412 Seiten/Pages. Self Publisher: Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates & Rilchingen-Hanweiler, Bundesrepublik Deutschland. http://dr-norman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/faunapalaestinapart1.htm Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2010). Der Hitlerkäfer (Anophthalmus hitleri Scheibel, 1937) / The Hitler‟s Slovenian Blind Cave Beetle (Anophthalmus hitleri, Scheibel 1937). Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Twenty-eighth Year, Number 97, January 2010 CE, Muharam 1431 AH. pp. 1-13. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://www.hitler-

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beetle.webs.com/ Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2011). Khunfusa„ Hitler خنفساء هتلر (The Hitler Beetle). Arab-Wikipedia. http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AE%D9%86%D9%81%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A1_%D9%87%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%B1 Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2010). Fauna Emiratus - Part One. Zoological Studies in the United Arab Emirates between 2004 - 2009. / Fauna Emiratus – Teil Eins. Zoologische Studien in die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate zwischen 2004 - 2009. ISBN 978-9948-15-462-4. Erste Auflage/First Edition, November 2010: 350 Seiten / Pages. Self Publisher: Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates & Rilchingen-Hanweiler, Bundesrepublik Deutschland. http://dr-norman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/faunaemiratuspart1.htm

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Life history parameters of the coccinellid beetle, Oenopia conglobata contaminata, an important predator of the common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena

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Wikipedia. Da‟souqa وقة دعس (in Arabic). http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AF%D8%B9%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%82%D8%A

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oenopia_conglobata

The Seven-spotted Ladybird Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata). Photo by Zachi Evenor.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachievenor/8561614575/sizes/o/in/set-

72157623220701942/