About Coccidula rufa (Herbst, 1783)
Coccidula rufa (Herbst, 1783) is a species of beetle belonging to the family Coccinellidae. It is native to the Palearctic realm. It can be found throughout Europe except for the far north, as well as in North Africa, and extends east across the Palearctic to include Turkey, European Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia, the Russian Far East, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Transcaucasia, Kazakhstan, Middle Asia, Western Asia, Afghanistan, and Mongolia. This species occurs up to an altitude of approximately 1000 meters. Its preferred habitat is damp areas with swamps and water plants, including slacks, marshes, and peatlands. However, Coccidula rufa can also be found in dry biotopes such as fields, meadows, sandy river banks, quarries, and gardens. Coccidula rufa feeds on aphids, which it hunts on aquatic plants including cane, reed, sedges, and grasses in the genera Glyceria and Elymus. It especially hunts the aphid species Hyalopterus pruni, which lives not only on Prunus species such as Prunus spinosa, but also on reeds (Phragmites australis), Arundo donax, and Molinia caerulea. This species overwinters among reeds.
