''Hoangus venustus'', commonly known as the flax ladybird, is a species of

ladybird beetle 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 th ...

that is native to New Zealand, being found at least in the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

. It can be found on New Zealand flax (''Phormium'') and

Toetoe ''Austroderia'' is a genus of five species of tall grasses native to New Zealand, commonly known as toetoe.

(cutty grass), reportedly eating the

mealybug Mealybugs are insects in the family (biology), family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm habitats. Many species are considered pest (animal), pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and sub ...

s that live there. Previously known as ''Cassiculus venustus'', the valid name of the species is now ''Hoangus venustus''. The species' colouration is black and orange: its head is orange on each side with black running down the middle, while its elytra or wing cases (which cover the back) are orange around the edge with black covering much of the area. It has four orange dots on this black area, two on each elytron. It is about 4 mm long from the tip of the head to the end of the abdomen (description based on a life-size photo in Andrew Crowe's ''Which New Zealand Insect'').

References

* 2019: Redescription and notes on the New Zealand ladybird species Hoangus venustus (Pascoe, 1875) (Coleoptera Coccinellidae). ''Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology'', 22: 226–232. Coccinellidae Endemic beetles of New Zealand Beetles described in 1875 Taxa named by Francis Polkinghorne Pascoe {{Coccinellidae-stub

See also

References