Checklist and distribution of lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Iran

Family Coccinellidae (lady beetles or ladybirds) is the largest family in the newly recognized superfamily Coccinelloidea (Robertson et al. 2015), and in the previously joint Cucujoidea s.lat., with about 6000 species described worldwide (Iablokoff-Khanzorian, 1982; Vandenberg, 2002). They are well known as mostly beneficial insects, their larvae and adults feed on pests, especially on aphids, scale insects and mites (Dobzhansky, 1933). But some of them are mycophagous and phytophagous and can become pests. Some species are very sensitive to changes in the environment so they can offer a better overall picture about the health of ecosystems and they can be good indicator species (Iperti, 1999).