Turtle ladybug - Turtle ladybug

This insect belongs to the family Coccinellidae in the order Coleoptera of the class Insecta. It is found throughout Japan and China. Its body length is 11-13 mm. It is black and circular, with a bulging back, yellowish-white sides of the pronotum, and a red tortoiseshell pattern on the upper wings. Both adults and larvae are beneficial insects that prey on the larvae of leaf beetles such as walnut leaf beetles and willow leaf beetles, and when they are caught, they exude a red liquid. Hokkaido is home to the very similar A. mirabilis , which has a relatively small red pattern on its upper wings that sometimes disappears.

[Takehiko Nakane]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱甲虫目テントウムシ科に属する昆虫。日本各地、中国などに分布する。体長11～13ミリメートル。黒色で円形、背面は膨らみ、前胸両側は黄白色、上ばねの亀甲(きっこう)紋は赤い。成虫、幼虫ともにクルミハムシ、ヤナギハムシなどハムシ類の幼虫を捕食する益虫で、捕まえると赤い液を出す。北海道にはこれによく似たナガカメノコテントウA. mirabilisがおり、上ばねの赤色紋は比較的小さく、ときに消失する。

［中根猛彦］

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