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Animal profile

Seven-spot Ladybird

Coccinella septempunctata

InsectaGrassland, hedgerow, farmland and gardens wherever aphids are abundant

Field profile

The seven-spot ladybird is a red-and-black predatory beetle of the family Coccinellidae, feeding chiefly on aphids as both larva and adult. It overwinters as an adult in sheltered aggregations. Deliberately introduced to North America for aphid control, it has become common there and is associated with declines in some native ladybird species.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-05-08

Seven-spot Ladybird

A threatened ladybird bleeds from its knees

Handled roughly, a ladybird leaves a yellow drop on the skin. That fluid is haemolymph forced out through pores at the leg joints, carrying bitter alkaloids, and the beetle's red-and-black pattern advertises it in advance.

Read with evidence →

Seven-spot Ladybird | Daily Animal Facts