Ladybirds in the UK
There have been 3500 species of coccinellid described
worldwide but until recently only 43 were considered as
resident in Britain.
The herbivorous Bryony ladybird, Epilachna
argus, and the small inconspicuous brown ladybird, Rhyzobius
chrysomeloides, are recent additions but neither
have attracted as much attention as the Harlequin ladybird, H.
axyridis, first encountered in 2004.
Of
the 46 ladybird species now found in Britain only 26
are readily recognisable as ladybirds and these are
the focus of the Ladybird Survey.
A sheet of ladybird
descriptions (163Kb) and larvae descriptions
(142Kb) are availiable in PDF format.
Thanks to Jeroen Mentens for supplying many excellent photos.
NOTES:
- Spot fusions = whether the spots
appear joined or "fused" to each other
- Melanic
(black) form = a black colour
form of the ladybird
- Pronotum = the surface of
the section of the ladybird between the head and the
hard wingcases
- Habitat = where the ladybird
is likely to be found
- Host
plant = the plant on
which the ladybird finds its food
- Overwintering = where
the ladybird prefers to shelter for winter
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