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The Scymnini are a tribe of insects within the family
Coccinellidae
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 ...
. This group includes many small species that are commonly known as dusky ladybugs.
Features
Adults
The adult beetles of Scymnini are small, typically one or two millimeters long. Their body is hemispherically domed and is almost always covered with dense hair. Only a few species have a smooth and glossy back surface. Many species can be identified by their characteristic pattern and their size, however examination under a
microscope
A microscope () is a laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic means being invisibl ...
is usually needed.
The Scymnini like the Chilocorini show their head well below the prothorax (pronotum). Their very short probes are built differently and have a reduced number of members. The Chilocorini differ from the Scymnini by their greatly expanded endplates ( clypeus ).
Larvae
The larvae of Scymnini secrete a white, waxy substance, which their body is covered with. Exceptions are only seen in the species of the genus Stethorus who have no such guard formations. On the other hand, there are wax coatings also in the larvae of other tribes of ladybugs, z. B. in Coccidulini and Chilocorini.
The larvae have also been known for forming small congregations of their own species, leaving a white smudge on the surface they are on.
Life style and distribution
The species of the tribe Scymnini are distributed worldwide. They feed on
spider mites ,
scale insects
Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than the ...
, Aledyrodoid moths and
aphids
Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A t ...
. The beetles lay their eggs on leaves, which are infested with the lice or mites. These are not only predatory as adults but also as larvae.
Systematics
The Scymnini were nomenclatured for a long time under the name Scymninae as one of numerous subfamilies of ladybugs. In 2007 was Adam Ślipiński proposed a new system,
which contains only two subfamilies. Under that system, the Scymnini belong to the subfamily as Tribe Coccinellinae.
The internal and external classification of Scymnini within this new subfamily needs to be investigated in more detail. Preliminary molecular studies have shown that the family is probably
paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
.
References
[Adam Ślipiński: ''Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) their Biology and Classification.'' ABRS, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra 2007 ]
Bernhard
Bernhard is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
*Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar (1604–1639), Duke of Saxe-Weimar
* Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen (1901–1984), head of the House of Saxe-Meiningen 194 ...
und Hertha Klausnitzer: ''Marienkäfer''. Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei Band 451, Westarp Wissenschaften, 4. Auflage, Magdeburg 1997, Seite 85
Further reading
*
Johann Gottlieb Kugelann
Johann Gottlieb Kugelann (2 January 1753 – 8 September 1815) was a German entomologist. A pharmacist by profession, Kugelann worked on Coleoptera.
He published (with Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger
Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger (19 November 1775 †...
: ''Verzeichniss der in einigen Gegenden Preussens bis jetzt entdeckten Käfer-Arten, nebst kurzen Nachrichten von denselben.'' Neuestes Magazin für die Liebhaber der Entomologie, 1, 5, S. 513–582, 1794 (Erstbeschreibung)
* A. Ślipiński & W. Tomaszewska: ''Coccinellidae (Coleoptera).'' In: Richard A. B. Leschen, Rolf G. Beutel, John F. Lawrence, N. P. Kristensen (Hrsg.): ''Handbook of Zoology. Arthropoda, Insecta, Coleoptera, Vol. 2.'' S. 454–472, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York 2010
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q148624
Polyphaga tribes
Coccinellidae