Lady Beetles (Hippodamia)
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Species from the Subfamily Coccinellinae tend to dominate the North American landscape.
One of the many genus with multiple species, Hippodamia, host over a dozen species, including the American Lady Beetle (Hippodamia americana), an Upper Midwest and Canadian species.
Physical appearance varies greatly from species to species, as demonstrated by the two species presented here.
The wing pattern on the lady beetle in the top picture says Parenthesis Lady Beetle (Hippodamia parenthesis).
However, Parenthesis do not have the white stripes on the black Protonotum.
On the other hand, Hippodamia sinuata species do show the white stripe on the Protonotum.
There are a handful of subspecies, each showing differing wing patterns. Picture three shows a sinuata subspecies with large spots rather than parenthesis.
Because of its popularity on the commercial market, the Convergent Lady Beetle (Hippodamia convergens) might be the best known Hippodamia species of lady beetles.
Like many Hippodamia species, the Convergent Lady Beetle overwinters in large aggregations, where they are collected for commercial purposes.
The spot pattern on the wings varies from region to region. However the two white stripes on the black neck area often serve as good field identification clues.
Today they can be found from coast to coast.
© 2010-2011 Patricia A. Michaels