ARS | Publication request: Ladybugs of Maine

Submitted to: Agricultural Experiment Station Publication
Publication Type: Experiment Station
Publication Acceptance Date: May 31, 2011
Publication Date: June 15, 2011
Citation: Alyokhin, A., Donahue, C., Majka, C., Chandler, D., Hanley, G., Molengraaf, T., Beckendorf, E.A., Hesler, L.S. 2011. Ladybugs of Maine. Poster; Maine Ag & Forestry Experiment Station series.

Interpretive Summary: Ladybeetles, or ladybugs, are a charismatic group of beneficial insect predators found in gardens and crop fields. Color images are presented for the 57 species of ladybugs known from Maine. Information on each species includes its scientific name, length, and an actual-size silhouette beside a grid matched to the scale of a U.S. dime. The poster also highlights "Lost Ladybugs," three previously common kinds of lady beetles whose numbers have declined considerably over the last few decades and are the object of conservation efforts. The poster will aid the general public in recognizing lady beetles, and will serve as an identification guide to citizen scientists in the northeastern U.S. who are involved in the Lost Ladybug Project and the conservation of lady beetles in general.

Technical Abstract: Color images are presented for the 57 species of Coccinellidae, commonly known as ladybugs, that are documented from Maine. Images are displayed in taxonomic order. Information on each species includes its genus-species name, length, and an actual-size silhouette beside a grid matched to the scale of a U.S. dime. The poster also highlights "Lost Ladybugs," three previously common species whose numbers have declined considerably over the last few decades.