1. The genus Harmonia (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) in the Middle East region
- Author
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Oldřich Nedvěd, Jahanshir Shakarami, Derya Şenal, Mehdi Zare Khormizi, Zahra Mojib Haghghadam, Lida Fekrat, Amir Biranvand, Amin N. Al Ansi, Wioletta Tomaszewska, Danny Haelewaters, Sara Noorinahad, and Şenal, Derya
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,010607 zoology ,Harmonia ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Invasive species ,Genus ,morphology ,distribution ,Animalia ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Taxonomy ,Middle East ,biology ,Ecology ,Desert climate ,hot desert climate ,Biodiversity ,non-native species ,biology.organism_classification ,Harmonia axyridis ,Coleoptera ,Coccinellidae ,Insect Science ,Key (lock) - Abstract
The harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas, 1773), is native to Asia but has been introduced to many countries, both intentionally and unintentionally. In the Middle East region, H. axyridis was so far only known from Iran and Turkey. This study reports H. axyridis for the first time from a country with a hot desert climate, Saudi Arabia. The single specimen that was found is most likely the result of unintentional release. Successful spreading of H. axyridis in Saudi Arabia will be limited because of high temperatures during summer and scarcity of prey (aphids). New records from Iran and Turkey suggest fast spreading of H. axyridis in these parts of the Middle East. In addition, we also present new records from Iran and Turkey for H. quadripunctata (Pontoppidan, 1763), the other species in the genus that occurs in the Middle East region. A key and illustrations are provided for both species.
- Published
- 2019
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