The nine-spotted lady bird beetle, Coccinella novemnotata, today
seems to be extirpated from its native New York habitat.
Photo by Steve Marshall
In 1989, New York designated the nine-spotted lady beetle
as the state insect. It was then believed to be one of the most common
and important lady beetles in agricultural areas in New York and the Northeast;
today it seems to be extirpated (made locally extinct) within the state,
and it occupies only a tiny fraction of its former range across the United
States and southern Canada. Recent surveys have found none in the Northeast,
and only a few in the Midwest and West. Although the nine-spot's decline
was recent, little is known about why it vanished. Non-native lady beetles
may have brought disease, eaten prey used by the nine-spot, or even eaten
the nine-spot itself. The exact cause of the demise of the nine-spotted
Lady beetle remains an unsolved mystery.
To learn more about the Nine-spot lady bird beetle:
-
The decline of C-9: New York's State Insect (PDF) (from Wings, a Xerces Society publication, Fall 2003)
- Cornell University Department of Entomology's Search for Lost Ladybugs (links to Cornell University website)