Although the classic standard ladybug – red with black spots – are the ones we know best, they come in a rainbow of colors. Well not exactly a rainbow, but from the bright red we know to deeper rusts and a range of tones from yellow to orange and browns.
They're known for their bright colors and cute spots, but have you ever wondered, “Do ladybugs come in different colors?” The answer is yes! Many different species of ladybugs exist in all sorts of colors.
Just two specimens of the tan, pinhead-sized ladybugs, also known as ladybird beetles, have ever been collected, a male in Montana and a female in Idaho, scientists said, making it the rarest species in the United States.
Ladybugs are small and usually quite round in shape. The color on the wing covers (elytra) can be yellow, orange, or red and often has small black dots on it. Some species are solid black.
Identification. The adult lady beetle (ladybug or ladybird beetle) is pink with 6 black spots on each wing cover and 2 black spots on the thorax. The body is 1/5 to 1/4 inch (5–6 mm) long and elongate oval when viewed from above and convex when viewed from the side.
This unusual ladybug is actually a completely different species from common red ladybugs. Although in the same family (Coccinellidae), it is one of many variations.
Exochomus metallicus is a dark metallic blue lady beetle that is also about 1/8 to 1/6 to inch (3–4 mm) long. It was introduced into California from Ethiopia in 1954 to control black scale and citricola scale.
The Fifteen-spotted Lady Beetle is native to North America. Its colors can range from light grey to dark purple with black spots.
The Gold Ladybug is a harmless Critter. It is a rare, golden recolor of an ordinary Ladybug, with a 1/400 (0.25%) chance of spawning in place of the ordinary version.
There are several species of black lady beetles with two red spots on the wing covers. Lookalikes in California include Axion plagiatum, Chilocorus cacti, Chilocorus kuwanae, and the black and red form of Olla v-nigrum.
The golden ladybug (Charidotella sexpunctata) is a type of small insect from the Chrysomelidae family that has a shiny gold-colored shell, making it look unique and attractive.
The golden tortoise beetle (Charidotella sexpunctata) and other tortoise beetles are nearly circular and rather flattened, and the pronotum shield completely covers the top of the head. This species is shiny metallic gold or orange when alive, and the edges of the elytral shields are transparent.
It is very common in western and central Europe. It is also native to North America but it has heavily declined in many states and provinces. It is commonly introduced and imported as a biological control agent.
These tiny beetles can have anywhere from no spots up to 19. The easiest way to distinguish an Asian lady beetle from other ladybugs is the distinctive black "M"-shaped mark that most Asian lady beetle species have on their pronotum, or the area between their wings and head. This mark can be solid or broken.
Most ladybugs have oval, dome-shaped bodies with six short legs. Depending on the species, they can have spots, stripes, or no markings at all. Seven-spotted ladybugs are red or orange with three spots on each side and one in the middle.
The Rare Five-Spot Ladybird Coccinella quinquepunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) Surviving in an Unstable Habitat. Coccinella quinquepunctata (the five-spot ladybird), was considered extinct in the UK until 1987. Since this time the species is abundant, however, only in very specific habitat in Wales and Scotland.
The pink spotted lady beetle (also called pink ladybird beetle, pink ladybug), Coleomegilla maculate, is an important beneficial insect commonly found in Missouri's field crops.
The species is known generally as the ashy gray lady beetle. The distribution range of Olla v-nigrum includes Central America, North America, and Oceania. It is usually gray or pale tan with small black spots on its elytra and thorax.
Sixteen spot ladybirds are beige, not red or yellow, with anywhere between 13 and 17 black spots that are sometimes joined together into splodges on the lower part of the wing cases. The diagnostic feature is the central black line where the wing covers meet.
Those Aren't Green Ladybugs! If you find little chartreuse-colored beetles that look like ladybugs scurrying around your vegetable garden or in among your roses, they're not your friends! Most likely they're western spotted cucumber beetles, Diabrotica undecimpunctata.
When found in buildings the ladybirds can be tolerated or captured and released out of doors.
In doing so, ladybugs help to control their populations and protect plants and gardens from damage. However, there are some rare instances where certain species of ladybugs can become harmful: meet the Asian Lady Beetle.