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NOTE: As of 2014, the California Beetle Project page is no longer updated. The original database and list of California beetles in the menu on the left will remain for the time being, but the information contained within is not necessarily current. SBMNH Entomology Curator Matthew L. Gimmel has divided up the function of the original database into two conceptual halves:

  1. The SBMNH Entomology specimen-level database, including all SBMNH beetle specimens included in the CBP database, which is now available (and ever-growing) through the ecdysis portal at https://serv.biokic.asu.edu/ecdysis/

  2. A literature- (and available specimen-)based checklist.
    3. of the Coleoptera of California, which is being revised and re-compiled by Dr. Gimmel, and, as of January 2017, is about 85% complete.



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Last updated 01/16/2009

 California Beetle Project > Species Pages > Cycloneda polita

Classification

Scientific name: Cycloneda polita Casey
    Order Coleoptera
    Superfamily Cucujoidea
    Family Coccinellidae

Images (click to enlarge)

What it looks like: 3.5-6.2 mm in length. It's body is robust and ovoid, with elytra that are usually red and sometimes yellowish-red. It shape and coloring are similar to those of a convergent lady beetle, except there are no black spots on the elytra and no converging pale spots on the pronotum.

Where you'll find it: This species is common throughout the western United States. However, it does not appear frequently in desert regions

Natural History: This beetle is an aphid predator and has also been used as a biocontrol agent for giant whiteflies, which are pests that infest ornamental plants, vegetables, and some fruit trees such as citrus and avocado.

This page was written by Maren Farnum, a 2005 California Beetle Project intern.



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