''Anthia sexguttata'', referred to commonly as the six-spot ground beetle, is a

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

of the

Family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Carabidae Ground beetles are a large, cosmopolitan family of beetles, the Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, around 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe. As of 2015, it is one of the 10 most species-rich animal ...

Appearance

Adults measure approximately 4 cm (1.5 inches), are black with six relatively large, white, dorsal spots (four over the

elytra An elytron (; ; : elytra, ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometime ...

and two on the

thorax The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

). Other patterns are possible although the pattern is always symmetrical. The larva has a flattened form, a large head capsule, and prominent mandibles.

Distribution

The species occurs in the drier parts of

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

. It is found in a variety of habitats including natural forests and dry scrubland. The species was found in a variety of human-modified habitats including agriculture fields and urban parks.

Diet

Adult ''A. sexguttata'' feed on other

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s and

snail A snail is a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gas ...

s. They are also predators on defoliating pests of ''

Tectona grandis Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panic ...

'', such as ''Pyrausta machaeralis'' and ''

Hyblaea puera ''Hyblaea puera'', the teak defoliator, is a moth and cryptic species complex native to South Asia and South-east Asia. It was Species description, first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. The species has also been recently reported to be present ...

''. It is also an important predator on beetle pests of sugarcane crops.

Ecology

''A. sexguttata'' are well known predators of a number of pests of commercially important trees including ''

''.

The compound eyes of A. sexguttata exhibit sensitivity changes in a clear circadian rhythm, with both eyes being coupled when in total darkness. The mite ''Regenpolipus madrasensis'' is described from ''A. sexguttata''.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q542895 Anthiinae (beetle) Beetles of Asia Beetles described in 1775 Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius