Monday 13 August 2012

Southeast Asian ladybirds

Another site which might be helpful in identifying ladybirds found in Singapore is Southeast Asian Beetles. There are images of some of the beetles in the region identified to Genus, if not always species level.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Propylea 14-punctata - 14 spot ladybird in Leicestershire and Rutland

Yellow ladybird with black spots.

Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) By @Fulup

More details

See the UK Ladybird Survey page for the 14-spot ladybird.

14-spot labybird records in Leicestershire and Rutland

The National Biodiversity Network records are shown on the map below. (See terms and conditions)

Open interactive map in new window

Adalia 2-punctata - 2 spot ladybird in Leicestershire and Rutland

Often as red as the familiar 7-spot ladybird, but with only two spots and much smaller. There is also a black with red spots variation that you may find in your garden or local park.

Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) By @Fulup

Four spots on this black 2-spot ladybird.


Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) By @Fulup

The more common red with two black spot form of the 2-spot ladybird.

More details

See the UK Ladybird Survey page for the 2-spot ladybird.

2-spot labybird records in Leicestershire and Rutland

The National Biodiversity Network records are shown on the map below. (See terms and conditions)

Open interactive map in new window

Sunday 5 August 2012

Halyzia 16-guttata - Orange ladybird in Leicestershire and Rutland

Orange ladybird preferring to feed on mildew rather than aphids.

Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) By @Fulup

More details

See the UK Ladybird Survey page for the Orange ladybird.

Orange labybird records in Leicestershire and Rutland

The National Biodiversity Network records are shown on the map below. (See terms and conditions)

Open interactive map in new window

Chilocorus renipustulatus - Kidney spot ladybird in Leicestershire and Rutland

Black ladybird with red spots and an almost bowler-hatted dome shape.

Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) By @Fulup

More details

See the UK Ladybird Survey page for the Kidney spot ladybird.

Kidney spot labybird records in Leicestershire and Rutland

The National Biodiversity Network records are shown on the map below. (See terms and conditions)

Open interactive map in new window

Friday 3 August 2012

Ladybird spider (Eresus Sandaliatus)

Like me, you might be surprised to learn that such a strikingly good-looking spider could be native to the UK. The Ladybird spider (Eresus Sandaliatus) is one of Britain's rarest. So rare that for about 70 years it was thought to be extinct here until it was rediscovered in 1980. Careful conservation work has enabled the spider to grow from just a few individuals to over 1000, but more work is needed for this spider to come off the danger list.

EresusSandaliatusHogeVeluwe
By Viridiflavus (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

The Spider and Harvestman Recording Scheme webite is tracking the whereabouts of this and other spiders. They report on the Ladybird Spider's preferences for south-facing sandy slopes and its four-year life cycle.

To really ensure its survival at least 20 sites where the spider can find a habitat are required. There is also, it has to be said, much still to learn about this spider, its requirements and role in the ecosystem.

The invertibrate conservation trust Buglife has an appeal raising funds for the development of habitats and further conservation work. It is an appeal well worth supporting.

Wednesday 1 August 2012

Adalia 10-punctata - 10-spot ladybird in Leicestershire and Rutland

This small ladybird can be found with a variety of patterns to the elytra, but the pronotum is quite distinctive.

Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) By @Fulup
The presence of the 7-spot ladybird (seen in Northumberland), almost sitting on the smaller 10-spot gives a sense of the relative size of these beetles.

More details

See the UK Ladybird Survey page for the 10-spot ladybird.

10-spot labybird records in Leicestershire and Rutland

The National Biodiversity Network records are shown on the map below. (See terms and conditions)

Open interactive map in new window

Psyllobora 22-punctata - 22-spot ladybird in Leicestershire and Rutland

A ladybird with a yellow and black colour combination from larvae, through pupae to adult.


Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) By @Fulup

More details

See the UK Ladybird Survey page for the 22-spot ladybird.

22-spot labybird records in Leicestershire and Rutland

The National Biodiversity Network records are shown on the map below. (See terms and conditions)

Open interactive map in new window