<I>Coccinella septempunctata</I> (Linné, 1758)

Morphology

The most popular of ladybirds, this is a large insect: 5-8 mm long. It can be identified by its oval, almost round shape and its seven black spots on orange to red background (3 spots on each elytron and 1 common scutellar spot).
It possesses pale or white marks on sides of thorax.

Diet

This ladybird feeds on aphids. Experiments have shown that larvae can consume about 100 to 1000 aphids per day and the adult from 100 to 200 larvae. It is being bred as a means of biological control.
It also eats other Homoptera: Psylla, Cicadellidae (leafhoppers), Aleyrodoidea or Coccoidea, and Acari.

Habitat

This species colonizes a highly varied range of environments: wild plants, cultivated fields, bushes and even trees. It prefers sunny herbaceous biotopes.