Miniscule ladybird

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Grubbypaws

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Miniscule ladybird
« on: September 26, 2018, 18:43 »
Can anyone identify this tiny ladybird? It is pitch black with 2 red spots and is less than 3mm in length.
20180926_171536_resized.jpg

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grinling

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Re: Miniscule ladybird
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2018, 19:40 »
Harlequin...not British

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robinahood

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Re: Miniscule ladybird
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2018, 06:03 »
 It may be a Kidney Spot,  seems to fit the description. They eat scale insects so definitely a good thing to have around!

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Grubbypaws

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Re: Miniscule ladybird
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2018, 09:34 »
It may be a Kidney Spot,  seems to fit the description. They eat scale insects so definitely a good thing to have around!
It certainly looks similar but I thought that the kidney spot was 4-5mm; this little guy was less than 3mm.

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sunshineband

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Re: Miniscule ladybird
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2018, 14:16 »
Two option spring to mind give that small size of 3mm... Harlequins are much larger than this

1. Pine Ladybird. This has a pronounced "pie frill" appearance, which is very narrow, all the way around the carapace... can't quite see if this is the case for your one in this pic. They are found on the bark or foliage of pine trees, or evergreen shrubs, or in the leaf litter

2. A melanic form (black form) of the 24 spot lady bird, which can have anything from zero to 24 spots. These are very rare, but we had some in the garden a few years back. Found in low plants and grass and they eat leaves not aphids

Does that shed any light?
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Grubbypaws

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Re: Miniscule ladybird
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2018, 16:19 »
I think that it does have a rim around the margin of the wing cases although the pictures are not good enough to be certain. I definitely only has 2 spots though and these are not comma shaped; I dont know whether this means that it cant be a pine ladybird or not. We certainly have a variety of pines and evergreens in the vicinity.
I have attached another picture but I am not sure if it is any better.
smallladybird2.jpeg

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sunshineband

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Re: Miniscule ladybird
« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2018, 09:26 »
Tricky. It does look like a Kidney spot but it is too big by 1mm. I can't see it's "eye" marks? Are they white?

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Grubbypaws

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Re: Miniscule ladybird
« Reply #7 on: September 29, 2018, 10:15 »
Tricky. It does look like a Kidney spot but it is too big by 1mm. I can't see it's "eye" marks? Are they white?
The head was entirely black with no white on it at all.

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robinahood

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Re: Miniscule ladybird
« Reply #8 on: September 29, 2018, 10:21 »
I am far from being a ladybird expert but I know they sometimes look different when they first emerge from the larva, could that be the reason?

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sunshineband

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Re: Miniscule ladybird
« Reply #9 on: September 29, 2018, 14:36 »
Tricky. It does look like a Kidney spot but it is too big by 1mm. I can't see it's "eye" marks? Are they white?
The head was entirely black with no white on it at all.


I've checked out numerous photos of the Kidney Spot and it also looks like a bit of a pie-frill around its carapace, plus the spots are the correct shape. Size, well.... 4-5mm. OK, Having checked your first image, part of the ladybird slightly overlaps the first marker(Yes, I know it's nit-picking, I'm getting desperate  :lol:) so could it in fact be almost 4mm? No white face markings either. Was it on  twig or tree trunk?
« Last Edit: September 29, 2018, 14:40 by sunshineband »

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Grubbypaws

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Re: Miniscule ladybird
« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2018, 16:50 »
It was a sunny evening and lots of ladybirds were landing on our south facing gritstone entrance and wooden windows. This wee chap was just sitting in the sun by himself on the gritstone slab.

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sunshineband

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Re: Miniscule ladybird
« Reply #11 on: September 30, 2018, 16:12 »
It was a sunny evening and lots of ladybirds were landing on our south facing gritstone entrance and wooden windows. This wee chap was just sitting in the sun by himself on the gritstone slab.

I reckon we might never know for sure  :(



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