Common Spotted Ladybird - Harmonia conformis
FAMILY COCCINELLIDAE
This page contains information and pictures about Common Spotted Ladybird Beetles that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Body length 6-8mm
The Common Spotted Ladybird Beetles are medium in size. They are beautifully bright orange in colour with 23 black dots on its wing-covers. We found them easily in our backyards in early summer, they feed on the aphids on our hibiscus plants. They are common in Brisbane.
- A fully grown larva consumes about 50 aphids per day. An adult female eats more than 100 aphids before she is ready to lay eggs. A ladybird will consume at least 2400 aphids during her life-span, about one to two months.
- In the above pictures, the ladybird is hunting for the aphids. The aphids seem do not have any defense mechanism to against the predation. The aphids do not even seem to take any action, such as running or kicking etc.
- The above pictures show two different mating pairs. Female is about the same size , or a bit larger than the male. After mating, the female lay a batch of eggs on the surface of leave. Their eggs are yellow in colour.
Both ladybird adults and larvae are predators. They feed on very small insects such as aphids, scale insects and mite. Both adults and larvae can be found on the same plants feeding on preys.
They also consume flower nectar and water, sometimes they feed on honeydew from aphids as supplement.
Eggs and Larva
- There are four stages of larval life. Each stage is separated by a moulting period. In moulting period the larva casts off its old skin, or exoskeleton, and grows a new one with increase in size. After the next instars comes out from the old cuticle, it will wait for the new cuticle to harden and then walks away.
- Common Spotted Ladybird Larvae is dull black in colour. The 1st instars looks like an ant. It walks as fast as ants. The later instars has two yellow bends on the abdomen. They spend most of the time feeding on aphids.
- Most other insect larvae consume their own eggs shells when hatched, as their first meal. The ladybird larvae seem do not do that. We also found that ladybird larvae do not eat their moulted skin in all instars stage.
- It takes four instars stages for a ladybird larvae become fully grown and ready for pupating. Their length is up to12mm. For locomotion, beside their six legs, ladybirds larvae use their crochet for moving. Their crochet is at the tip of their abdomen, which can hold onto a surface, help them for walking from leaf to leaf. Besides, the crochet hold so that their legs are free to catch the aphids. The crochet also hold the surface when in pupation.
In the last instars stage, the larvae keeps on eating and becomes fat. Before pupating, the larvae finds a suitable place, which is usually a leaf surface near the stem tip. Then the larvae stays there and rest for a day, then start the last moulting.
Pupa
- After the last moulting, it becomes a pupa. The Common Spotted Ladybirds take about 8 days form pupa to adult.
- Found suitable pupate site Turned into pupa
- After 8 days
- The above pictures show the changes of the larvae to pupa then to adult within 8 days. The above picture is the Common Spotted Ladybird just hatched from its pupa. Its hind wings is still waiting to dry and not keep outside the wing-coves. The patterns on the forewings will appear a few hours later.
- Reference:
- 1. Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) Their biology and classification - A.Ślipiński, Australian Biological Resources, 2007, p161.
- 2. Ladybirds - Insects Identification and Information Guide, Australian Cotton CRC, 2004.
- 1. Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) Their biology and classification - A.Ślipiński, Australian Biological Resources, 2007, p161.
