Kingdom animaliThe
Phylum Arthropod
Class Insecta
Order Coleoptera
Family Coccinellidae
What is a ladybug?
(a) a colored cockroach that forgot to grow
(b) a type of beetle
(c) a ladybug, oh!
(d) none of the above.
The answer is the letter “b”!
Ladybugs belong to the Phylum of Arthropods, Class Insecta and Order Coleoptera. They belong to the Coccinellidae Family, which comprises about 6,000 known species, distributed in 350 genera.
Equipped with a chitinous spherical body, small head, antennae and two pairs of well-developed wings, they can measure up to 1 centimeter and have the most varied colors, according to the species. They may have moles on their carapace.
As for eating habits, they are generally predators - although some species feed on plants. With the exception of these, these animals are considered natural controllers, as they feed on pests. agricultural like no one else, feeding mainly on aphids and scale insects - organisms considered pests of citrus. They are preyed upon by larger insects, some species of birds and amphibians.
These animals can lay 10 to hundreds of eggs and their larvae, despite being morphologically different, follow the same type of food as adults. They are dioecious and, in some species, there is sexual dimorphism, that is: male and female have morphological differences that distinguish them. Fertilization is internal.
The larva becomes a pupa within 20 days of birth and within 10 days the pupa opens and the ladybug is formed! These animals go through approximately 5 molts during growth and can live for about 5 months.
Curiosities: due to their role in controlling the presence of unwelcome beings on the plantations and their “pretty” appearance, they are called in Spain and Peru mariquitas; chinitas, in Chile; vaquitas, in Argentina; animals of God (“bête a Dieu”), in France; Mary's beetle (“Marienkafer”) in Germany; and bird of Our Lady (“Ladybird”) in the United States and England.
By Mariana Araguaia
Graduated in Biology