Ladybug beetle - Ladybug beetle

A general term for insects belonging to the family Endomychidae of the order Coleoptera in the class Insecta. They are also known as the ladybird family. They are distributed all over the world, with about 1,300 species known, and about 50 species native to Japan. They are small beetles with a body length of about 1 to 10 mm. Most are hemispherical to long oval, often with swollen upper wings and wide width. They are often bicolored, black or dark, and yellowish brown or reddish brown, sometimes with a metallic luster such as indigo or purple. The antennae have three large aprons, and the tarsus of the legs has four segments, with the third segment often being very small, but small, round species have three segments. Many species have longitudinal grooves on both sides of the pronotum, and sometimes grooves on both rear sides. Generally, many of them, such as the yellow-spotted ladybird Mycetina amabilis and the blue-spotted ladybird Endomychus gorhami , live on mushrooms, but some live on rotting wood, dead wood, under bark, or under fallen leaves, and the yellow ladybird Saula japonica eats scale insects on tree leaves. The larvae have a wide variety of shapes and live in the same places as the adults.

Please note that the 24-spotted ladybird and the large 24-spotted ladybird, which belong to the ladybird family, are sometimes called false ladybird beetles in the agricultural industry.

[Takehiko Nakane]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱甲虫目テントウムシダマシ科Endomychidaeに属する昆虫の総称。テントウダマシ科ということもある。世界各地に分布し、約1300種が知られ、日本産は約50種に達している。体長1～10ミリメートル余りの小形の甲虫。半球から長卵形のものが多く、しばしば上ばねが膨れ、幅が広い。色は黒色ないし暗色と黄褐色ないし赤褐色の2色のことが多く、ときに藍(あい)・紫など金属光沢を帯びる。触角は先3節が大きく、肢(あし)の跗節(ふせつ)は4節で第3節が微小のことが多いが、丸く小さい種では3節。多くの種は前胸両側に縦溝があり、また後方両側に溝があることもある。一般にキボシテントウダマシMycetina amabilisやルリテントウダマシEndomychus gorhamiなどキノコにいるものが多いが、朽ち木、枯れ木、樹皮下、落葉下などにいるものもあり、キイロテントウダマシSaula japonicaは樹葉上でカイガラムシを食べる。幼虫の形は変化に富み、成虫と同様の場所にすむ。

　なお、テントウムシ科のニジュウヤホシテントウ、オオニジュウヤホシテントウは、農業関係でテントウムシダマシとよばれることがあるので注意が必要である。

［中根猛彦］

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