''Coccinella septempunctata'', the common ladybug, the seven-spot ladybird (or, in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, seven-spotted ladybug or "C-7"), is a

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose nutrition and energy requirements are met by consumption of animal tissues (mainly mu ...

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

native to Europe, Africa and Eastern Asia. It has been introduced to North America and can be found in many regions with a temperate climate. Its

elytra An elytron (; ; : elytra, ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometime ...

are of a red colour, but each punctuated with three black spots, with one further spot being spread over the junction of the two, making a total of seven spots, from which the species derives both its

common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

and

scientific name In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

s (from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

' = "seven" and ' = "spot").

Biology

Although ''C. septempunctata''

larvae A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typical ...

and adults mainly eat

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...

s, they also feed on

Thysanoptera Thrips (order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Entomologists have described approximately 7,700 species. They fly only weakly and their feathery wings are ...

Aleyrodidae Whiteflies are Hemipterans that typically feed on the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise the family (biology), family Aleyrodidae, the only family in the superfamily Aleyrodoidea. More than List of whitefly species, 1550 species have been ...

, on the larvae of

Psyllidae Psyllidae, the jumping plant lice or psyllids, are a Family (biology), family of small plant-feeding insects that tend to be very host-specific, i.e. each plant-louse species only feeds on one plant species (monophagous) or feeds on a few closel ...

and Cicadellidae, and on eggs and larvae of some beetles and

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

. They breed one or two generations per year. Adults overwinter in ground litter in parks, gardens and forest edges and under tree bark and rocks. ''C. septempunctata'' has a broad

ecological Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely re ...

range, generally living wherever there are

s for it to eat. This includes, amongst other biotopes, meadows, fields,

Pontic–Caspian steppe The Pontic–Caspian Steppe is a steppe extending across Eastern Europe to Central Asia, formed by the Caspian and Pontic steppes. It stretches from the northern shores of the Black Sea (the ''Pontus Euxinus'' of antiquity) to the northern a ...

, parkland, gardens,

Western European broadleaf forests The Western European broadleaf forests is an ecoregion in Western Europe, and parts of the Alps. It comprises temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, that cover large areas of France, Germany and the Czech Republic and more moderately sized parts o ...

and mixed forests. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, there are fears that the seven-spot ladybird is being outcompeted for food by the

harlequin ladybird ''Harmonia axyridis'' is a large lady beetle or ladybug species that is most commonly known as the harlequin, Asian, or multicoloured Asian lady beetle. This is one of the most variable lady beetle species in the world, with an exceptionally wid ...

. File:Coccinella septempunctata couple (aka).jpg, Mating File:Ladybird May 2008-1.jpg, Larva File:Coccinella septempunctata - Borkhausenia intermedia - Keila.jpg, In addition to insect prey, seven-spot lady-birds consume

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...

and

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

. An adult seven-spot ladybird may reach a body length of . Their distinctive spots and conspicuous colours warn of their toxicity, making them unappealing to predators. The species can secrete a fluid from joints in their legs which gives them a foul taste. A threatened ladybird may both play dead and secrete the unappetising substance to protect itself. The seven-spot ladybird synthesizes the toxic

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

s, N-oxide coccinelline and its free base

precoccinelline Precoccinelline is an alkaloid produced by the ''Coccinella septempunctata'', also known as the seven-spot ladybird. The alkaloid is released from the joints in ''C. septempunctata'' legs when it is provoked to deter predators such as ants or bird ...

; depending on sex and diet, the spot size and coloration can provide some indication of how toxic the individual insect is to potential predators.

Distribution

The species can be found in Europe, North Africa, Australia, Cyprus, European Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia, the Russian Far East, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, the Transcaucasia, Kazakhstan, Middle Asia, Western Asia, Middle East, Afghanistan, Mongolia, China, North and South Korea, Pakistan, Nepal, North India, Japan, Sri Lanka, southeast Asia, and tropical Africa.

Interaction with humans

Biological control, introductions, and infestations

The species has been repeatedly introduced to North America as a

biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or o ...

agent to reduce aphid numbers. The first record of successful establishment (after numerous failed attempts to introduce the species) in the United States was in 1973. It has since spread by natural dispersion to New York and Connecticut and to Oklahoma, Georgia and Delaware by recolonization. In

, this species has outcompeted many native species, including other ''

Coccinella ''Coccinella'' is the most familiar genus of ladybird (or, in North America, ladybug). The elytra of most species are of a red or orange colour, punctuated with black spots or bands. The genus occurs throughout the Northern Hemisphere, but has on ...

''. Massive swarms of ''C. septempunctata'' took place in the drought summer of 1976 in the UK. The species has undergone significant declines on the

island of Malta Malta is an island in Southern Europe. It is the largest and most populous of the three major islands that constitute the Maltese Archipelago and the country of Malta. The island is situated in the Mediterranean Sea directly south of Italy and ...

, yet it is unclear whether this decline has occurred at the same rate elsewhere.

In culture

''C. septempunctata'' has been designated the national insect of

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Coccinellidae Beetles of Europe Biological pest control beetles Insects used as insect pest control agents Symbols of Delaware Symbols of Massachusetts Symbols of Pennsylvania Symbols of Ohio National symbols of Finland Beetles described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus