Stethorus punctum, known generally as the spider mite destroyer or black mite destroyer, is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is found in North America.
Description Adults reach a length of about 1.35-1.55 mm. They have a black body, while the antennae, mouthparts and legs are yellow. In subspecies picipes, the legs are black or dark brown.
Biology Stethorus punctum is strictly a predator of plant-feeding mites, particularly the spider mites such as the European red mite and the two-spotted spider mite, and especially the eggs.
Subspecies These two subspecies belong to the species Stethorus punctum: Stethorus punctum picipes Casey, 1899 (Idaho to British Columbia, south to southern California) Stethorus punctum punctum (LeConte, 1852) (southeastern Canada to North Carolina, west to Montana and Colorado)
References
Further reading