A request from Rick: Is there anybody out there who can identify this ‘ladybird’ that flew in this morning? Yellow with many white dots. Should I release it, or is it a pest!?
2 thoughts on “Rick’s ladybird id request”
I think Rick has found an Orange Ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata). They normally have 16 white spots, with orange/yellow head, body and legs and are often found in woodland and gardens, particularly around Sycamore, Ash and Hawthorn trees. They are quite common, feed on mildew and overwinter in leaf litter or in sheltered positions on trees.
We think the ladybird is the Orange ladybird, Halyzia sedecimguttata. It seems a dead ringer for it, especially the transparency on the edges of the pronotum (plate-like covering on the body part with the first legs) and the leg colour – though obviously a bit puzzled by references to it being yellow! A native species and not a pest.
I think Rick has found an Orange Ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata). They normally have 16 white spots, with orange/yellow head, body and legs and are often found in woodland and gardens, particularly around Sycamore, Ash and Hawthorn trees. They are quite common, feed on mildew and overwinter in leaf litter or in sheltered positions on trees.
We think the ladybird is the Orange ladybird, Halyzia sedecimguttata. It seems a dead ringer for it, especially the transparency on the edges of the pronotum (plate-like covering on the body part with the first legs) and the leg colour – though obviously a bit puzzled by references to it being yellow! A native species and not a pest.