2-spot Ladybird (f.typica) - WWC Archives
Adalia bipunctata, commonly known as the two-spot ladybird is a carnivorous beetle. It is very common in western and central Europe.
Phenotypic variations[]
The most familiar form of the two-spot ladybird beetle is the red one with the two black spots. However, there also exists a black form with red spots on it. In addition, there are intermediate forms, but they occur only rarely in nature.
Prey[]
Two-spotted lady beetles feed on aphids and other small insects.
Two-spot Ladybird ~ Dark Form
Life cycle[]
The two-spotted lady beetle's life cycle starts with eggs that are usually laid in clutches. The larvae hatches from the egg by biting a hole in it. The larvae look very different from the adults: they have elongated, grey, soft bodies with six legs but no wings. They are cannibalistic. Larvae go through four larval stages: by eating they grow and at some point they shed their old skin and appear in a new one in which they can grow more. The last larval stage is approximately the size of an adult beetle. Once it has eaten enough, the larvae attach themselves to a substrate and moult into a pupa. Inside the pupa, the adult develops. Finally the adult ecloses from the pupa.