MOLECULAR CONFIRMATION OF STETHORUS (STETHORUS) PUSILLUS (HERBST, 1797) IN NORTHERN SERBIA
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Apr 14, 2026
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Abstract
Stethorus (Stethorus) pusillus (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), one of the most effective biocontrol agents against harmful mites in horticultural crops, was recorded for the first time in Sremska Mitrovica, northern Serbia, in August 2022. Molecular analyses confirmed the morphological identification. This Holarctic species primarily preys on mites on many cultivated plants. While the specimens in this study were found on peach (Prunus persica L.) leaves, the presence of mites was not documented at the time of sampling.
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Jovičić, I., & Marinković, S. (2026). MOLECULAR CONFIRMATION OF STETHORUS (STETHORUS) PUSILLUS (HERBST, 1797) IN NORTHERN SERBIA. Acta Entomologica Serbica, 31(1). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19455186
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Copyright: © 2019 The ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SERBIA Staff. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
References
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Bieńkowski, A. O. (2018). Key for identification of the ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of European Russia and the Russian Caucasus (native and alien species). Zootaxa, 4472(2), 233-260. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4472.2.2
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Grbić, M., Lakić, B., & Mihajlović, L. (1989). Predators and parasitoids of Psylla pyri L. (Hom.: Psyllidae) in Vojvodina (YU). In Proceedings of the OILB Workshop “Lutte intégrée en verger de poires”, Nyon: Research Station of Changins, 1-11.
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Hendrich, L., Morinière, J., Haszprunar, G., Hebert, P. D., Hausmann, A., Köhler, F., & Balke, M. (2015). A comprehensive DNA barcode database for Central European beetles with a focus on Germany: adding more than 3500 identified species to BOLD. Molecular Ecology Resources, 15(4): 795-818. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.12354
Injac, M., & Perić, P. (1989). Delovanje akaricida inhibitora razvića na fitofagne grinje i pojava predatora u jabučnjaku. Zaštita bilja, 40(3): 281-291.
Kapur, A. P. (1948). On the Old World species of the genus Stethorus Weise (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research, 39(2): 297-320. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007485300022434
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Massimino Cocuzza, G. E., & Cavalieri, V. (2014). Identification of aphids of Aphis frangulae group living on Lamiaceae species through DNA barcode. Molecular Ecology Resources, 14(3): 447-457. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.12199
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Pemberton, R. W., & Vandenberg, N. J. (1993). Extrafloral nectar feeding by ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 95, 139-151.
Pentinsaari, M., Hebert, P. D., & Mutanen, M. (2014). Barcoding beetles: a regional survey of 1872 species reveals high identification success and unusually deep interspecific divergences. PLoS One, 9(9): e108651. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108651
Seki, R., & Maruyama, M. (2025). Review of the genera Stethorus and Parastethorus from Japan (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae, 65(2): 269-291. https://doi.org/10.37520/aemnp.2025.021
Silva, L. D., & Bonani, J P. (2008). Ocorrência de Stethorus (Stethorus) minutalus Gordon & Chapin (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) predando Bemisia tabaci biótipo B (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) em algodoeiro no Brasil. Neotropical Entomology, 37(1), 86-88. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1519-566X2008000100013
Stančić, J. (2013). Tvrdokrilci (Insecta: Coleoptera) Ramsko-golubačke peščare (istočna Srbija). Acta Entomologica Serbica. Special Issue. Belgrade: Entomological Society of Serbia.
Vidya, C. V., Bhaskar, H., Chaitanya, R., & Mathew, D. (2022). Stethorini (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccinellinae) of South India: their associated mite species and barcode gap analysis. Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control, 32(1), 124. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41938-022-00625-4.
Biddinger, D. J., Weber, D. C., & Hull, L. A. (2009). Coccinellidae as predators of mites: Stethorini in biological control. Biological Control, 51(2): 268-283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2009.05.014
Bieńkowski, A. O. (2018). Key for identification of the ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of European Russia and the Russian Caucasus (native and alien species). Zootaxa, 4472(2), 233-260. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4472.2.2
Biswas, G. C., Islam, W., & Haque, M. M. (2007). Biology and predation of Stethorus punctillum Weise (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) feeding on Tetranychus urticae Koch. Journal of Bio-Science, 15, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.3329/jbs.v15i0.2196
Damjanović, J., & Stanković, M. (2017). Prvi rezultati istraživanja faune bubamara (fam. Coccinellidae, Insecta) u Specijalnom rezervatu prirode Zasavica. In Simić, S. (Ed.), Zbornik radova Naučno-stručnog skupa o biodiverzitetu i drugim vrednostima rezervata Zasavica „Zasavica 2017.” sa međunarodnim učešćem, Sremska Mitrovica: Nature Conservation Movement of Sremska Mitrovica, 139-149.
FinchTV (2010). FinchTV Version 1.4.0. Geospiza Inc. Retrieved from finchtv.software.informer.com (Accessed 2 February 2026)
Folmer, O., Black, M., Hoeh, W., Lutz, R., & Vrijenhoek, R. (1994). DNA primers for amplification of mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I from diverse metazoan invertebrates. Molecular Marine Biology and Biotechnology, 3(5), 294-299.
Grbić, M., Lakić, B., & Mihajlović, L. (1989). Predators and parasitoids of Psylla pyri L. (Hom.: Psyllidae) in Vojvodina (YU). In Proceedings of the OILB Workshop “Lutte intégrée en verger de poires”, Nyon: Research Station of Changins, 1-11.
Hebert, P. D., Cywinska, A., Ball, S. L., & DeWaard, J. R. (2003). Biological identifications through DNA barcodes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences, 270, 313-321. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2002.2218
Hendrich, L., Morinière, J., Haszprunar, G., Hebert, P. D., Hausmann, A., Köhler, F., & Balke, M. (2015). A comprehensive DNA barcode database for Central European beetles with a focus on Germany: adding more than 3500 identified species to BOLD. Molecular Ecology Resources, 15(4): 795-818. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.12354
Injac, M., & Perić, P. (1989). Delovanje akaricida inhibitora razvića na fitofagne grinje i pojava predatora u jabučnjaku. Zaštita bilja, 40(3): 281-291.
Kapur, A. P. (1948). On the Old World species of the genus Stethorus Weise (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research, 39(2): 297-320. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007485300022434
Kumar, S., Stecher, G., & Tamura, K. (2016). MEGA7: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis version 7.0 for bigger datasets. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 33(7), 1870-1874. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msw054
Massimino Cocuzza, G. E., & Cavalieri, V. (2014). Identification of aphids of Aphis frangulae group living on Lamiaceae species through DNA barcode. Molecular Ecology Resources, 14(3): 447-457. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.12199
National Center for Biotechnology Information (2025). Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST). National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (Accessed 2 February 2026)
Pemberton, R. W., & Vandenberg, N. J. (1993). Extrafloral nectar feeding by ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 95, 139-151.
Pentinsaari, M., Hebert, P. D., & Mutanen, M. (2014). Barcoding beetles: a regional survey of 1872 species reveals high identification success and unusually deep interspecific divergences. PLoS One, 9(9): e108651. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108651
Seki, R., & Maruyama, M. (2025). Review of the genera Stethorus and Parastethorus from Japan (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae, 65(2): 269-291. https://doi.org/10.37520/aemnp.2025.021
Silva, L. D., & Bonani, J P. (2008). Ocorrência de Stethorus (Stethorus) minutalus Gordon & Chapin (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) predando Bemisia tabaci biótipo B (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) em algodoeiro no Brasil. Neotropical Entomology, 37(1), 86-88. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1519-566X2008000100013
Stančić, J. (2013). Tvrdokrilci (Insecta: Coleoptera) Ramsko-golubačke peščare (istočna Srbija). Acta Entomologica Serbica. Special Issue. Belgrade: Entomological Society of Serbia.
Vidya, C. V., Bhaskar, H., Chaitanya, R., & Mathew, D. (2022). Stethorini (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccinellinae) of South India: their associated mite species and barcode gap analysis. Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control, 32(1), 124. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41938-022-00625-4.