Eighteen-spotted Ladybird

Achtzehnfleckiger Ladybug ( Myrrha.octodecimguttata )

The Achtzehnfleckige ladybug or pine tops Ladybug ( Myrrha octodecimguttata ) is a beetle of the family of Ladybug ( Coccinellidae ).

Features

The beetles are 3.5 to 5 millimeters long and have an oval, slightly flattened body. The animals are brown and wear on the wing covers eight or nine light beige spots, of which especially the around the tag ( scutellum ) can be interconnected. The pronotum is brown on the sides and in the center but bright, the color of the beetle is very variable, the stains may flow into one another in many different variants.

Occurrence

The beetles come in Europe, especially in the Mediterranean and east to the Trans-Baikal ( east of Lake Baikal ) ago. They are missing in the far north. They live mainly in old pine forests and generally sit on conifers, in particular high on pines. In Germany they are mainly found in the Upper Bavarian bogs on -flops, except when live ants there.

Way of life

The beetles feed on aphids. The larvae overwinter, they do so in groups at the base of the trunk under the bark of trees, usually together with other ladybug species. After mating, which often can take several hours, the female lays the eggs in aphid colonies from, so that the later hatching larvae immediately find food. Due to the distinct coloration and secretion of bitter defensive secretions, the beetle trying to keep themselves enemies such as birds and other insects at bay.