Convergent Ladybird cluster

Class: Hexapoda (animals with six legs - includes all insects)
Order: Coleoptera (beetles)
    coleo = sheath and ptera = wings (singular is pteron)
    This name refers to the hardened front wings of beetles.
Family: Coccinellidae (ladybird beetles or lady beetles)
Species: Hippodamia convergens
Common Name: Convergent Lady(bird) Beetle
Date: 2001 September 03
Place: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    Guadalupe Peak

The common name of this familiar "ladybug" comes from the two white converging bars on the thorax behind the head (at least the bars converge as one moves to the rear). These insects cluster at high points over the hot summer months not returning to the lowland areas until the following spring. Favored locations depend on seasonal wind patterns. Some other ladybird species also form similar aggregations (problems arise when the location is a structure like someone's home).

Links

Note: This is a personal web site and is not affiliated with the National Park Service or Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Contact information for the author, Ron Lyons, is accessible through the Index Page referenced below. Thank you.