The role of Harmonia axyridis in the Coccinellidae complex in forest-steppe agrolandscapes in Ukraine

Abstract

Ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are important secondary consumers in the trophic food chains of cereal and other crops. Unfortunately, practical questions about the use of ladybirds in protecting plants from pests in Ukraine are solved quite slowly. The study of Coccinellidae species composition was carried out during 2006-2019 in Kiev and Cherkasy regions on farms located in the Central Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. The records were carried out during route surveys of grain cereal fields and adjacent forest fallows, forest shelter belts, edges and other habitats. Methods and techniques commonly used in entomology and plant protection were used.During the period of research, 14 species of Coccinellidae family were identified. C. septempunctata L. was the most common species in these biocenoses. In the general collection its share was 52.6% of all detected ladybirds. The population of these insects on cereal crops was high – 19.3%. Hyppodamia variegata Goeze and Propylea quatuordecimpunctata L. took second place (12.6% each of them). Among the identified ladybirds, invasive alien species Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is 9.7%.