''Chnootriba elaterii'' (formerly ''Henosepilachna elaterii''), the melon ladybird beetle,Tomaszewska, W., & Szawaryn, K. (2016). Epilachnini (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)-A Revision of the World Genera. Journal of insect science (Online), 16(1), 101. doi:10.1093/jisesa/iew082 is a phytophagous

ladybird Coccinellidae () is a widespread family of small beetles ranging in size from . They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in Great Britain. Some entomologists prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as they ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

found in

southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern regions of Europe, region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countrie ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and

western Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...

. It feeds mainly on

squirting cucumber ''Ecballium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cucurbitaceae containing a single species, ''Ecballium elaterium'', also called the squirting cucumber or exploding cucumber (not the same plant as ''Cyclanthera brachystachya''). Its u ...

, but also on other cultivated or spontaneous Cucurbitaceae plants.

References

Coccinellidae Beetles of Europe Beetles described in 1794 {{Coccinellidae-stub