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ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #306936
Title: Detection of reproducing populations of Coccinella novemnotata within coccinellid assemblages (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in western South Dakota and western Nebraska

Author
item BARTLETT, PAMELA B - South Dakota State University
item Hesler, Louis
item CATANGUI, MICHAEL - Non ARS Employee
item French, Bryan
item GRITZNER, JANET - South Dakota State University

Submitted to: Annals of the Entomological Society of America
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/24/2015
Publication Date: 5/23/2015
Citation: Bartlett, P., Hesler, L.S., Catangui, M.A., French, B.W., Gritzner, J.H. 2015. Detection of reproducing populations of Coccinella novemnotata within coccinellid assemblages (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in western South Dakota and western Nebraska. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 108:474-486.

Interpretive Summary: Adults of three native species of lady beetles of conservation interest (two-spotted, nine-spotted and transverse lady beetles) were detected during recent surveys at several locations in western South Dakota and western Nebraska. These findings spurred the current follow-up study that systematically sampled for lady beetles among three common habitats in the region during 2010 and 2011. Four techniques (sugar-baited and non-baited yellow sticky traps, sweepnetting, timed visual searches) sampled 4,036 adult and 830 immature lady beetles. Ten different kinds of lady beetles were sampled. The seven-spotted, convergent, and parenthesis lady beetles were the three most common. The nine-spotted lady beetle ranked fifth in abundance, with 94 sampled in small grains, 20 in alfalfa, and 5 in grassland pasture; 58 immature nine-spotted lady beetles were sampled primarily in small-grain fields. Nine-spotted lady beetle’s abundance decreased with increasing proportion of vegetative cover in fields, whereas this characteristic was not related to abundances of seven-spotted, convergent, and parenthesis lady beetles. Abundance of these latter three lady beetles decreased with increasing number of vegetation types and their diversity in fields, whereas nine-spotted lady beetle abundance was not related to these indices. Fourteen transverse and 30 nine-spotted lady beetles were also observed on roadside vegetation near sample fields. The two-spotted lady beetle was never sampled in this study. Results suggest that sparsely vegetated small-grain fields may favor reproducing populations of nine-spotted lady beetles in relatively arid areas of the north central U.S., and future conservation of the nine-spotted lady beetle should focus on such areas.

Technical Abstract: Adults of three native species of lady beetles [Coccinella novemnotata Herbst, Coccinella transversoguttata richardsoni Brown, and Adalia bipunctata (L.); Coleoptera: Coccinellidae] of conservation interest were detected during recent surveys at several locations in western South Dakota and western Nebraska. These findings prompted the current study that systematically sampled for lady beetles among three dominant habitats in the region during 2010 and 2011. Four techniques (sucrose-baited and non-baited yellow sticky traps, sweepnetting, visual searches) sampled 4,036 adult and 830 larval coccinellids comprising 10 species. Coccinella septempunctata L., Hippodamia convergens Guerin-Meneville, H. parenthesis (Say), and Brachiacantha albifrons (Say) were the four most common species. Coccinella novemnotata ranked fifth in abundance, with 94 sampled in small grains, 20 in alfalfa, and 5 in grassland pasture; 58 larval C. novemnotata were sampled primarily in small-grain fields. Abundance of C. novemnotata negatively correlated with proportion of vegetative cover in fields, whereas this characteristic did not correlate with abundances of H. convergens, H. parenthesis, and C. septempunctata. Abundance of these latter three species negatively correlated with vegetative species richness and diversity in fields, whereas C. novemnotata abundance was not related to these indices. Fourteen C. transversoguttata richardsoni, 30 C. novemnotata, and several other coccinellids were observed on roadside vegetation near sample fields. Adalia bipunctata was not sampled in this study. Results suggest that sparsely vegetated small-grain fields may favor reproducing populations of C. novemnotata in relatively arid areas of the north central U.S.