Novius koebelei is a species of ladybird beetle native to Australia.CSIRO It is also present in the wild in New Zealand, where it is of exotic origin.NZOR (Web Service Demonstrator) In New Zealand, it was first reported in 2006, having been found in Auckland.Biosecurity New Zealand 2006: Biosecurity magazine, (68) whole issue (PDF) [see p. 30] It has been known under many names; due to variation in its colouration, it has been described as new six times after its original description in 1892.Pang, H., Tang, X.-F., Booth, R.G., Vandenberg, N., Forrester, J., Mchugh, J., & Ślipiński, A. (2020) Revision of the Australian Coccinellidae (Coleoptera). Genus Novius Mulsant of Tribe Noviini. Annales Zoologici 70 (1):1–24. https://doi.org/10.3161/00034541ANZ2020.70.1.001
This species was introduced into California for biocontrol, alongside N. cardinalis. It is not thought to persist there now, however.The Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) of America North of Mexico, Robert D. Gordon. 1985. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, Vol. 93, No. 1.
Description Compared to the better-known Novius cardinalis, koebelei typically has much more strongly confluent markings. This often creates a large concurrent red patch on each elytron, though some individuals may be entirely uniform red, and other variants exist.
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