# Orange Ladybird

*Halyzia sedecimguttata*

While most ladybirds are famous for eating aphids, the Orange Ladybird is a dedicated vegetarian that acts as a natural fungicide, cleaning leaves of mildew.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Coleoptera › Coccinellidae › Halyzia
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous and mixed woodlands, parks, and gardens, with a strong preference for sycamore, ash, oak, and hazel trees.
- **Diet:** Strictly mycophagous, feeding almost exclusively on powdery mildew fungi growing on the leaves of deciduous trees.
- **Range:** Europe, Western Asia, Siberia, British Isles
- **Size:** 5 to 6 mm in length
- **Lifespan:** About 1 year
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Widespread use of chemical fungicides and pesticides, and the loss of mature deciduous woodland habitats.
- **Safe to approach?:** Completely harmless to humans. You can safely observe this beetle from any distance or gently allow it to crawl on your hand. If threatened, it may exude a pungent, yellow fluid (hemolymph) from its joints to deter predators, which can leave a temporary yellow stain on skin. Wash hands with soap and water after handling.

## About

Halyzia sedecimguttata , or orange ladybird , is a species of Coccinellidae, also known as ladybird.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/6c4a1c65-87d3-4288-84a1-855880206da8
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/52881
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halyzia sedecimguttata
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/5008/medium.jpg (Gilles San Martin, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.