ED007. Following in the footsteps of introduced ladybugs in Ecuador

Non-native species may cause significant negative impacts on the biological communities into which they have been introduced. These impacts can be ecological, by impacting native species, and socioeconomic, by affecting human populations, natural resources, and environmental services. Ladybugs are one of the most prominent cases of non-native species that have been successful in their new environments and have come to generate positive and negative ecological and socioeconomic impacts. These beetles are characterized by their diet of aphids and other insects that can be agricultural pests, so they are beneficial as biocontrollers; However, there are some species, such as the famous Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis, that can generate negative impacts on native insect communities and on agricultural production and human health. In Ecuador we know of the presence of at least six species of non-native ladybirds belonging to the Coccinellini tribe: Hippodamia convergens, Mulsantina mexicana, Harmonia axyridis, Cheilomenes sexmaculata, Coccinella septempunctata and Coelophora inaequalis. Unfortunately, very little is known about the ecological and socioeconomic impacts that these species are exerting and, in fact, discovering the process of arrival and settlement of their populations has been a challenge for researchers. In this study we will briefly review the possible routes of entry into the country and a review of its distribution in continental Ecuador.

• Glavni autor: Peñaherrera-Romero, Emilia (author)
• Daljnji autori: Domínguez-Trujillo, Mariela (author), Cisneros-Heredia, Diego F. (author)
• Format: article
• Jezik: spa
• Izdano: 2023
• Teme: Especies no nativas; Ecuador continental; mariquitas; coccinélidos; Non-native species; continental Ecuador; ladybugs; coccinellids
• Online pristup: https://revistadigital.uce.edu.ec/index.php/SIEMBRA/article/view/5541