I 'spotted' my first Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) of the year on Saturday. It was crawling across a rug inside, and had perhaps been over-wintering indoors. Harlequins have 0-22 spots, and I reckon this one is near the upper limit, though some of the spots have become run-on blotches! It comes under the umbrella of succinea Ladybirds on account of its black on red colour-scheme. You can see the characteristic black 'M' or 'W' on the pronotum, but my photograph fails to show if the legs are reddish in colour. We know from this source that this ladybird was called Coccinella axyridis Pallas, way back in 1773.
More information can be found here. If you find a Harlequin Ladybird in Britain, it would be good to report it to the Harlequin Ladybird Survey.
2 comments:
I was just discussing the differences in our goldfinches with the other Welsh blogger I read. I think ours is more deserving of the name, but yours is certainly a pretty and colorful bird!
Great ladybug photo! Very detailed.
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