Diversity and distribution of ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Croatia

Božje ovčice ili bubamare (Coccinellidae) su porodica unutar reda kornjaša (Coleoptera), koji je najbrojniji red vrstama na svijetu. Porodica obuhvaća oko 6 000 vrsta koje su raspoređene u sedam potporodica. Fauna božjih ovčica Hrvatske iznimno je slabo istražena te je glavni cilj ovog rada prikazati popis i rasprostranjenost božjih ovčica Hrvatske. Stoga su božje ovčice popisane u dostupnim muzejskim, fakultetskim i privatnim koleopterološkim zbirkama te iz dostupne literature. Za faunu Hrvatske ukupno su zabilježene 94 vrste. Jedna nova vrsta Exochomus oblongus Weidenbach 1859 te potencijalno nova vrsta Hyperaspis erytrocephala (Fabricius 1787) su po prvi puta zabilježene za faunu božjih ovčica Hrvatske. Gotovo jednak broj vrsta zabilježen je za mediteransku (68 vrsta) i kontinentalnu regiju (67 vrsta) te su ove regije međusobno sličnije prema sastavu vrsta nego li alpinska regija. Prema učestalosti vrsta, Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus 1758 je najučestalija vrsta božje ovčice u Hrvatskoj. Fauna božjih ovčica Hrvatske najsličnija je fauni Mađarske što je najvjerojatnije posljedica velike istraženosti njihove faune. U budućim istraživanjima očekuje se pronalazak novih vrsta božjih ovčica za Hrvatsku.Ladybirds, or ladybugs (Coccinellidae), are a family within the order beetles (Coleoptera), which is the most species-numerous order in the world. The family includes about 6,000 species divided into seven subfamilies. The fauna of Croatian ladybirds is poorly known. The main objective of this study is to present the list of ladybirds in Croatia and their distribution. In order to accomplish this, data was gathered from several collections of the Croatian Natural History Museum in Zagreb, one University collection and four private Coleoptera collections, along with all available literature. A total of 94 species are recorded for Croatia. The first exact records were provided for one new species Exochomus oblongus Weidenbach 1859 and one potentially new species Hyperaspis erytrocephala (Fabricius 1787) for Croatian fauna. The Continental and Mediterranean regions have almost the same number of species – 68 and 67, respectively, and are considered to be more similar to one another than to the Alpine region. According to the frequency of species, Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus 1758 is considered to be the most common species in Croatia. Croatian ladybird fauna was most similar to the Hungarian ladybird fauna, most likely due to their fauna being well-researched. In further studies, findings of new species for Croatia can be expected