Twenty-spotted Ladybug

Description:

Tiny yellow and white Ladybug of 3 mm with black spots. Family Coccinellidae. It is also called the 20-Spotted Ladybug, see notes below that it is a mildew feeder and not a predator like most Coccinellids. Many specimens of this species are white without any yellow or the amount of yellow varies and there is a great variation in the spots: large, small, separated or confluent. The group needs work and apparently some DNA studies are being done. See references below.

Habitat:

Garden lights, semi-rural residential area, San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, 2,200 meters.

Notes:

"The only northeastern North American species of Psyllobora, P. vigintimaculata, is a small (2-3mm), yellowish species that occurs across the continent from Labrador to Alaska and south to Mexico. Unlike most lady beetles, which are carnivores, Psyllobora species are mildew-feeders, and have mandibles armed with rake-like rows of small teeth used in gathering up spores and conidia." from https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?sear... https://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/ins... https://bugguide.net/node/view/538614/bg...