Order Coleoptera Higher classification Coccinella | Scientific name Coccinella leonina Rank Species | |
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Similar Ladybird, Insect, Beetle, Coccinella, Coccinella magnifica | ||
Coccinella leonina, common name orange-spotted ladybird, is a species of ladybird native to New Zealand. It is black with 16 orange spots, and is about 5–6 mm long. It is present from to subalpine habitats down to sea level. It is a predator which specializes on aphids as an adult and larva, which it hunts in grass/spear grass/tussock. A very similar and closely related undescribed species occurs only on the Three Kings Islands.
Native and introduced species
Another species in the same genus found in New Zealand is the introduced eleven-spot ladybird, Coccinella undecimpunctata, which looks quite different from this species. Despite this, it has a similar size and ecological niche. Both species occur in the South Island and south of the North Island, but in the north of the North Island only the introduced species is found. However, it is present on islands in areas where it is absent on the mainland, and may be displaced on the mainland as a result of interspecific competition.