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Aphid Predator (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)Coccinella undecimpunctataEleven-spot ladybirdOn this page: Identification Biological Control & DistributionIdentificationCoccinella undecimpunctata is medium-sized ladybird with a body length of 4-5 mm. The elytra are red, usually with 11 black spots (see first picture above), but the small front spots may become very small, almost invisible. The pronotum is black with antero-lateral white marks.. The head is black with two white dots (see second picture above). The underside and the legs of Coccinella undecimpunctata are black.
Third image above copyright Gilles San Martin under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. The fourth instar larva (see third picture above) of Coccinella undecimpunctata is similar to that of Coccinella septempunctata in that it is grey-black with orange dorso-lateral and ventro-lateral tubercles on abdominal segments one and four. However, it lacks the conspicuous orange patches on the prothorax which are characteristic of the larva of the seven-spot ladybird. Biological control & DistributionCoccinella undecimpunctata is found in many habitat types with low growing vegetation, but is especially characteristic of coastal and estuarine habitats such as dune systems and salt marshes. It feeds on aphids, especially grassland and herb species. It is native to Europe, Asia and North America, but has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand for biological control purposes. It has also been used for augmentative biological control, for example for control of Aphis gossypii and Myzus persicae on cucumber crops (Abd El-Gawad & El-Zoghbey, 2009) .
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