Two-spotted Lady Beetle
Adalia bipunctata
This species is highly polymorphic, meaning it can appear in many color forms, including black with four red spots instead of red with two black spots.
- Scientific name
- Adalia bipunctata
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Coleoptera › Coccinellidae › Adalia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- urban
- Habitat
- Gardens, parks, agricultural fields, and deciduous woodland edges.
- Diet
- Primarily aphids, but also consumes scale insects, mites, and pollen.
- Range
- Europe, North America, Western and Central Asia
- Size
- 3.5 to 5.5 mm in length
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Competition and predation from the invasive Harlequin ladybird, habitat loss, and heavy pesticide use in gardens.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless to humans. If one lands on you, it is safe to observe closely. Avoid crushing them, as they may release a pungent yellow fluid (reflex blood) that can stain skin and clothes.
Adalia bipunctata , commonly known as the two-spot ladybird , two-spotted ladybug or two-spotted lady beetle , is a carnivorous beetle of the family Coccinellidae that is found throughout the holarctic region. It is very common in western and central Europe. It is also native to North America but it has heavily declined in many states and provinces. It is commonly introduced and imported as a biological control agent.
Photo: Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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