Stethorus punctum

Stethorus punctum, known generally as the spider mite destroyer or black mite destroyer, is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is found in North America.^[1][2][3]

Stethorus punctum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Cucujiformia
Family:	Coccinellidae
Genus:	Stethorus
Species:	S. punctum
Binomial name
Stethorus punctum (LeConte, 1852)
Synonyms
Scymnus punctum LeConte, 1852 Stethorus brevis Casey, 1899 Stethorus picipes Casey, 1899

Description

Adults reach a length of about 1.35-1.55 mm. They have a black body, while the antennae, mouthparts and legs are yellow. In subspecies picipes, the legs are black or dark brown.^[4]

Biology

Stethorus punctum is strictly a predator of plant-feeding mites, particularly the spider mites such as the European red mite and the two-spotted spider mite, and especially the eggs. ^[5]

Subspecies

These two subspecies belong to the species Stethorus punctum:

• Stethorus punctum picipes Casey, 1899 (Idaho to British Columbia, south to southern California)
• Stethorus punctum punctum (LeConte, 1852) (southeastern Canada to North Carolina, west to Montana and Colorado)