Rodolia koebelei

Rodolia koebelei
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Coccinellidae
Genus:	Rodolia
Species:	R. koebelei
Binomial name
Rodolia koebelei (Coquillett, 1893)

Rodolia koebelei is a species of ladybird beetle native to Australia.^[1] It is also present in the wild in New Zealand, where it is of exotic origin.^[2] In New Zealand, it was first reported in 2006 having been found in Auckland.^[3]

This species was introduced into California for biocontrol, alongside R. cardinalis. It is not thought to persist there now, however.^[4]

Description

Compared to the more well-known Rodolia cardinalis, koebelei has much more strongly confluent markings. This often creates a large concurrent red patch on each elytron, though some individuals may be entirely uniform red.

References

1. CSIRO
2. NZOR (Web Service Demonstrator)
3. Biosecurity New Zealand 2006: Biosecurity magazine, (68) whole issue (PDF) [see p. 30]
4. The Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) of America North of Mexico, Robert D. Gordon. 1985. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, Vol. 93, No. 1.