Study of DNA shows larger species is not just out-competing native ladybirds but preying on them too
theguardian.com, Monday 23 June 2014 13.09 BST
Invasive harlequin ladybirds are feeding on their native British cousins, DNA analysis has shown.
Research analysing the contents of the guts of harlequin larvae across Europe revealed the species, which mainly eats aphids, were also preying on other insects including 10-spot and 2-spot ladybirds.
The harlequin, a larger and more voracious species than native British ladybirds, spread to the UK after being imported from East Asia to Europe for commercial pest control of crops.
Research has previously shown that seven out of eight UK ladybird species studied had declined over five years following the arrival of the harlequin in 2004. The harlequin is now the second most commonly found ladybird species in the UK.
Experts are concerned the invasive species is responsible for the declines of other ladybirds by out-competing them for food and habitat, and by preying on them.
The new study, led by Dr Peter Brown and Dr Alison Thomas of Anglia Ruskin University, is the first to use molecular techniques to probe for the presence of the DNA of several different insects in the guts of harlequin larvae.
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