Common Names
This lady beetle is commonly known as the fourteenspotted lady beetle.

 

Scientific Name
Propylaea quatuordecimpunctata (L.)

Description

• Elytra (hardened forewings) are yellow with variable black markings, though often the spots are rectangular, forming a checkerboard pattern.
• 3.5 to 5.2 mm in length.

Habitat

This lady beetle is found in a wide range of non-forest habitats such as croplands, fields, suburban lawns, dune grasses, and gardens.

Invasion History

The fourteenspotted lady beetle lives in Europe and much of central Asia. It has been released across North America as a biological control agent for aphids. In 1968 an established population of the fourteenspotted lady beetle was found in Quebec; it was not the result of an intentional release. Since then, the fourteenspotted lady beetle has spread to Maine and much of the northeastern United States. Today it is a relatively common lady beetle in eastern North America.

Regional Sightings

Though range expansion of the fourteenspotted lady beetle has not been as rapid as other non-native species of lady beetles, it is now a common lady beetle in the Maritimes. It has been found in Nova Scotia since 1990, and New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island since 1993.

Additional Websites of Interest

• Lady Beetles of Ontario – Fact Sheets about the Lady Beetles of Ontario.
• Discover Life – Fact sheets about Coleoptera: Coccinellidae Latrielle 1807.

Literature Gordon, R.D. and N. Vandenberg. 1991. Field guide to recently introduced species of Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) in North America, with revised key to North America genera of Coccinellini. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 93: 845-864. Majka, C.G. and D.B. McCorquodale. 2006. The Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada: new records, biogeographical notes, and conservation concerns. Zootaxa 1154: 49-68. McCorquodale, D.B. 1998. Adventive lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in eastern Nova Scotia, Canada. Entomological News 109(1): 15-20. Simberloff, D. and B. Von Holle. 1999. Positive interactions of nonindigenous species: invasional meltdown? Biological Invasions 1: 21-32. Doucey, R. Propylaea quatuordecimpunctata. Retrieved June, 2008, from http://papounet.wifeo.com/coleopteres.php#Coccinellidae