Coccidula lepida LeConte

The specimen of Coccidula lepida LeConte pictured below was collected at New Maryland, York County, New Brunswick, Canada May 8, 2004 by R. P. Webster in sphagnum hummocks in a sedge marsh. It is 3.2 mm in length.

C. lepida has previously been collected in New Brunswick in Kouchibouquac National Park in 1977 by J. M. Campbell and S. J. Miller, however, this record is only the second known locality of this species in the province. Gordon (1985) indicates a distribution across New Brunswick and the mainland of Nova Scotia, however, there appear to be no specimens from N.S. and its presence in N.S. remains hypothetical (Majka and McCorquodale, in press).

Gordon (1985) notes that it is distinctive and does not resemble any other North American species. It is most similar to the European C. scutellata (Herbst). There is little noted about the bionomics of this species.

Gordon (1985) provides the definitive taxonomic treatment of this group while Majka and McCorquodale (in press) provide an overall discussion of the Coccinellidae in the Atlantic Maritime Ecozone.

dorsal habitus

ventral habitus

lateral habitus

References

Gordon, R.D. 1985. The Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) of America north of Mexico. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 93(1):1-912.

Majka, C.G. and McCorquodale, D.B. in press. The Coccinellidae: Lady Beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) of the Atlantic Maritime Ecozone. In: D.F. McAlpine and I. M. Smith [ed.] Assessment of Species Diversity in the Atlantic Maritime Ecozone. National Research Council of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario.

Vandenberg. N.J. 2002. Coccinellidae Latreille 1807. pp. 371-389. In: Arnett, R.H., Jr., Thomas, M.C., Skelley, P.E., and Frank, J.H. (eds.) American Beetles, Volume 2: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA.