''Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata'' is a species of

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 ...

in the family

Coccinellidae Coccinellidae () is a widespread family (biology), family of small beetles. They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in the United Kingdom; "lady" refers to Mary, mother of Jesus, mother Mary. Entomologists use the ...

. It is commonly known as the 28-spotted potato ladybird or the Hadda beetle. It feeds on the foliage of

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

es and other

solanaceous Solanaceae (), commonly known as the nightshades, is a family of flowering plants in the order Solanales. It contains approximately 2,700 species, several of which are used as agricultural crops, medicinal plants, and ornamental plants. Many mem ...

crops. It was previously called ''Epilachna vigintioctopunctata'' and is a

cryptic species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

. It is very often confused with a closely related species, ''

Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata ''Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata'' is a species of beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is commonly known as the 28-spotted potato ladybird, a name also used for the closely related species, ''Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata''. Morpho ...

'', which occurs in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, and is given the same "

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

Seasonal abundance and natural enemies

Temperature and humidity strongly influence the seasonal abundance of this species; the population increases with increased minimum temperature, and higher relative humidity. However, this species has two natural enemies, ''

Tetrastichus ''Tetrastichus'' is a genus of hymenopteran insects of the family Eulophidae. '' Tetrastichus planipennisi'' is a parasitoid of the emerald ash borer, a wood boring insect native to Asia which is an invasive species in North America. ''T. pla ...

'' sp. and ''

Pediobius foveolatus ''Pediobius foveolatus'' (James Chamberlain Crawford, Crawford) (Fig. 1 and 3), is a tiny exotic parasitoid wasp that is used for biological control of Mexican bean beetle, Mexican bean beetle, ''Epilachna varivestis'' (Fig. 2), an important ins ...

'', that suppress the beetle population by parasitizing their larval and pupal stages.

Distribution

This species is native to southeastern

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, primarily

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, but has been accidentally introduced to other parts of the world, including

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It has also been recorded from

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, beginning in 1996.

Economic significance

This species causes damage to agricultural crops primarily in the family

Solanaceae Solanaceae (), commonly known as the nightshades, is a family of flowering plants in the order Solanales. It contains approximately 2,700 species, several of which are used as agricultural crops, medicinal plants, and ornamental plants. Many me ...

, especially

es; other crops include

pumpkin A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...

turnip The turnip or white turnip ('' Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''rapa'') is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties a ...

radish The radish (''Raphanus sativus'') is a flowering plant in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. Its large taproot is commonly used as a root vegetable, although the entire plant is edible and its leaves are sometimes used as a leaf vegetable. Origina ...

es,

bean A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are traditi ...

s and

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to Central Asia, Central and Western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common vegetable consumed eit ...

Gallery

Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata 1959.jpg, Potato ladybeetle (Cairns, Queensland) Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata 1920.jpg, Head on view Epilachna_vigintioctopunctata_01.jpg, Rear view (different specimen)

References

External links

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3022094 Coccinellidae Agricultural pest insects Beetles described in 1775 Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius