Seven-spot ladybird

Coccinella septempunctata · A red, black-spotted ladybird common across Europe and Asia and introduced to North America.

Also called Seven-spotted ladybug, Seven-spotted lady beetle, Sevenspotted lady beetle.

Seven-spot ladybird
Photo: Mkrc85, CC BY-SA 4.0
Seven-spot ladybird
Photo: I, Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0
Seven-spot ladybird
Photo: Andre Hosper, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderColeoptera
FamilyCoccinellidae
GenusCoccinella
SpeciesCoccinella septempunctata

Where it lives

Fields and gardens across Europe, Asia and North Africa; introduced to North America.

Fun facts

  • Its red-and-black colours warn predators that it tastes bad, and when threatened it can ooze a foul yellow fluid from its leg joints.
  • Both the adults and the larvae are voracious predators of aphids, which makes the species popular with gardeners and farmers.
  • It was released in North America several times to control aphids and has become widespread there.
  • Adults spend the winter dormant, often clustered together in sheltered spots such as grass tussocks and leaf litter.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).