Everything About Ladybugs!

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The Three-banded Ladybug ( coccinella trifasciata )

These visually stunning little ladybugs look kind of like tigers! They can be found in various places around the world, however they are less common than other species. They are easily recognizable by the large black bands on the orange or pail orange elytra. In the north western United States and Canada we seem to have a fair amount of sightings however in my area I usual only see this ladybug's subspecies, coccinella trifasciata subversa.


The Eye-spotted Ladybug ( Anatis Mali)

This beautiful species is appropriately named with it's dark spots ringed in yellow that take on the appearance of eyes. It is thought that eye spots are a defense mechanism to make ladybugs and other insects who are decorated with them appear larger as well as divert predators from attacking their head and other vital organs. These little ladybugs can often be found in pine trees in locations where they are common.


Orange Spotted Ladybug ( Brachiacantha ursina )

Here's a fascinating species of ladybug. It's coloring is the reverse of what you would typically think on a ladybugs wings. Dr. Steve Marshall of the University of Guelph was kind enough to let us use some of these ladybug species images and provides the best insight on this Orange Spotted ladybug species: "Ontario is home to a diversity of small to very small, generally dark-coloured, lady beetles in the subfamily Scymninae. The most commonly noticed member of this group is Brachiacantha ursina, a small (3-4mm) black beetle with orange spots. Larvae of the large genus Brachiacantha are rarely seen because, unlike the familiar larvae of the common red lady beetles, they stay underground. We really don't know much about what these little beetles eat, but at least some larvae in the genus are found in ant nests where they eat scale insects. Many, but not all, of the black lady beetles eat scale insects and mealybugs, unlike the more familiar, aphid eating, red lady beetles. Also the separation in the elytra is disctinctly outlined in black."


The Spotless Ladybug ( Cycloneda Munda )

Though many species of ladybugs can have variations of spot patterns that include ladybugs without spots, Cycloneda munda does not have them at all on the outer wings. Because they are very similar in shape, spotless Asian ladybugs, Harmonia axyridis are somtimes mistaken for them. The key difference being the pattern on the head and pronotum. Harmonia axyridis often have a distinct M shape on their pronotum and are very large while the spotIess ladybug have a white rimmed pronotum. Note: in this picture of the the spotless ladybug, the pronotum has two white spots. These may be merged into the rim in varied patterns.

The Fifteen Spotted Ladybug ( Anatis Labiculata)

Here's a really interesting ladybug species. When this ladybug species is younger it is a more grayish-white and you can easily see it's 15 spots. Different than most ladybug species the elytra change color as they grow older. The spots don't fade or disappear but the wings actually turn a dark purplish color making the spots hard to differentiate.



Two-spotted Ladybug ( Adalia Bipunctata )

The two-spotted ladybug is pretty recognizable by it's distinct two spots on it's outer wings when found as pictured. However again Harmonia axyridis is good at mimicking it's markings and the best way to tell the difference is to look closely at the ladybugs head. To make things a little bit more confusing, the two-spotted ladybug has a number of variations within its species. It can have four spots, transverse markings, or black elytra with red spots. View variations of the two-spotted ladybug here.



Ladybug species: Page 1

Ladybug Facts
Learn some great facts about ladybugs such as what they are, what they eat, where to find them and much more!



Ladybug Anatomy
Learn about the anatomy of ladybugs. The most well known part of the ladybug is called the elytra which is the outer hard shell-like wings of the ladybug.



Ladybug Life Cycle
Ladybugs sure grow up fast. Like other beetles they have complex little lives. Learn the phases of a ladybug's life cycle here!



Ladybug for Pest Control
Ladybugs are renowned for their abilities to control a number of pests that eat our plants. Learn the facts about ladybugs & pest control here.