Details
Coccinella septempunctata
The seven-spot ladybird is a familiar red beetle marked with seven black spots. Both adults and larvae are important small predators of aphids in fields, gardens, and wild plants.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Native across much of the Palearctic and established in the Nearctic, it lives in grasslands, field margins, woodland edges, gardens, and parks. It follows aphid-rich plants and overwinters in sheltered litter or crevices.
Adults are about 0.5-0.8 cm long and extremely light. The rounded red wing covers carry seven black spots, and the black pronotum bears pale patches. When disturbed, it can release bitter yellow defensive fluid from the leg joints.
Diurnal, it walks over plants alone or in loose groups while searching for prey. Adults fly between feeding sites, and in cold seasons many may gather together in dormancy shelters.
Carnivorous, both adults and larvae feed mainly on aphids. They also take scale insects and small insect eggs, moving among plants where prey is abundant.
Females lay clusters of yellow eggs near aphid colonies. The dark, elongate larvae hatch and feed actively before pupating on vegetation. Several generations may occur in favourable warm seasons.
It is valued as a natural enemy of crop and garden pests. The bright red-and-black colour pattern warns predators of its distasteful chemical defence.
