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Psyllobora picta
Una de las pocas chinitas de color blanco, se suelen encontrar colonias en abundancia sobre una sola planta mientras que es inútil buscarla en los alrededores. Su pequeño tamaño y su costumbre de permanecer oculta entre el follaje la hace pasar inadvertida.
Tamaño: 2,3 a 3,1 mm.
Comen hongos.
Las especies del género Psyllobora, tienen una alimentación poco habitual entre los Coccinellidae: adultos y larvas de alimentan de hongos, en especial de aquellos que forman una cubierta blanquecina en las hojas de árboles y arbustos.
One of the few white ladybug species. They are often found in colonies on only one plant, and then nowhere near to be found.
Size: 2,3 to 3,1 mm.
They eat fungus (mould).
The species of the genus Psyllobora, have an uncommon feeding habit amongst the Coccinellidae: adults and larvae feed on fungus, specially those forming a white layer on leaves of trees and bushes.
Se encuentra en Chile desde Santiago hacia el sur hasta la X Región de Los Lagos, siempre a finales de la primavera y durante el verano.
Hay referencias de haberla encontrado también en Río Negro, Argentina.
Found in Chile, from Santiago to the X Region "Los Lagos", always at the end of spring and summer.
It is also claimed to have been spotted at Río Negro, Argentina.
Estas chinitas fueron encontradas en un grupo de plantas de Zapallo Butternut (Cucurbita moschata) que tenían sus hojas cubiertas de un moho blanco.
These where found on a group of plants of Butternut Squash (Cucurbita moschata) which had many leaves covered in a white mould.
Spotted on Feb 29, 2012
Submitted on Feb 29, 2012
15 Comments
2nd one and last one show correct details i think...Anyway good capture...
They ARE painfully small, have about 50 pictures of them in different days at different hours, but still none that I shows nice detail.
So tiny..looks like small peppermint :)
Curioso. Se parecen a las que estaban invadiendo mi habitación hace poco.
They are usually white or pale-colored (light gray, light brown, light yellow) with brown or black spots; one species that I know of, Psyllobora vigintimaculata, has a color variant with both orange and black spots. They are so pretty, and beneficial to the garden since they eat fungus from plant leaves!
Thanks Abigail.
Are all Psyllobora white?
I never knew them before, but now I have hundreds of pictures of them, soon I'll post a spotting with more of their life in my garden (before their plant died).
I love Psyllobora lady beetles! They are my favorite genus in North America. I wish we had more genera of tribe Halyziini here!
Oh, they are tiny. But it's a colony that this week has spawned a new generation of ladybugs; I now have pictures of eggs, larvae and (I guess) puppy stages. What I don't know is how to post them.
Maybe a separate spotting?
wow...he's really tiny
Thanks!
Just added a new picture taken yesterday showing one of them on my pinky.
They are now living on my Squash Vine, eating the fungus on the leaves. I've gone crazy taking pictures of them.
nice series!
nice spotting
What an unusual & very lovely ladybug!
Thanks! I'm so happy for this lucky finding. I knew about these ladybugs before, but never seen them, and now I have about 30 in my back yard.
Very nice series!