Saturday 25 August 2007

Adonis Ladybird (Hippodamia variegata)

OTHER NAMES: Spotted Amber Ladybird, Variegated Lady Beetle, Variegated Ladybug
Latin Etymology: Hippodamia (from various Ancient Greek mythical figures) variegata ("variegated")
Adult Adonis Ladybird (Hippodamia variegata - uknown subspecies) at Pitsford Reservoir, Northants - August 2011

Featured Subspecies: ?
Length: 3-6mm 
UK Status: Not Evaluated IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

At a glance, fairly similar to the much more common two and seven spot ladybirds, the differences become apparent on closer inspection. Firstly, it has a distinctive more shieldlike shape compared to those species, and has spots which are more distributed to the rear of the species. It is also more specialised than them, only feeding on certain kinds of aphid compared to the more general diets of the commoner types.

Related Species:
Order:
Coleoptera 
Family: Coccinellidae
Genus: Hippodamia
SUBSPECIES: H. v. doubledayi, H. v. var, H. v. variegata

Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM A resident species which is seen in Summer
 - Seen at Pitsford Reservoir

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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