Instects magazine published a scientific article by M.Ya. Benkovskaya and A.O. Benkovsky on the belonging of two populations of ladybugs to one species. The scientific and information portal Search described in detail the essence of the study and posted a comment of the project manager Marina Yakovlevna Benkovskaya, Doctor of Biological Sciences, senior researcher at the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, RAS.
Russian researchers have studied the type of ladybugs - Chilocorus kuwanae, - which has been used to control pests for more than a century. It was previously believed that the native land of this species is Asia, and another related ladybug lives in Europe. However, the study of signs of body structure and statistical processing of the results showed that these two populations belong to the same species. The study demonstrates how important animal identification is using precise quantitative methods and statistical processing. The data obtained also indicate the need for reassessment of the effectiveness of measures related to the importation of individuals of this species. The work was published in the journal Insects. Research is supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation.