Coccinella novemnotata
Encyclopedia
Coccinella novemnotata, the nine-spotted ladybug or nine-spotted lady beetle, is a species of ladybug
native to North America
.
It is the state insect of New York
since 1989, although the pink spotted ladybug was considered as a replacement in 2006, as the nine-spotted ladybug was thought extinct in the state. In 2007 the nine-spotted ladybug was rediscovered in Virginia (the first East Coast sighting in 14 years), and the bill to replace it did not pass the State Senate, and so was not signed into law. In 2011, about 20 of these ladybugs were found on a farm in Amagansett, NY
, the first such sighting in New York since 1982.
Its numbers are thought to have been greatly reduced by the spread of the introduced Asian lady beetle
in recent years.
Coccinellidae
Coccinellidae is a family of beetles, known variously as ladybirds , or ladybugs . Scientists increasingly prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as these insects are not true bugs...
native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
It is the state insect of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
since 1989, although the pink spotted ladybug was considered as a replacement in 2006, as the nine-spotted ladybug was thought extinct in the state. In 2007 the nine-spotted ladybug was rediscovered in Virginia (the first East Coast sighting in 14 years), and the bill to replace it did not pass the State Senate, and so was not signed into law. In 2011, about 20 of these ladybugs were found on a farm in Amagansett, NY
Amagansett, New York
Amagansett is a census-designated place that roughly corresponds to the hamlet by the same name in the town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York on the South Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 1,067. Amagansett hamlet was founded in 1680.The...
, the first such sighting in New York since 1982.
Its numbers are thought to have been greatly reduced by the spread of the introduced Asian lady beetle
Asian lady beetle
Harmonia axyridis is a large coccinellid beetle. Its colour ranges from yellow-orange to black, and the number of spots between 0 and 22. It is native to eastern Asia, but has been introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects...
in recent years.