Is this an Adonis ladybird?

[metalfish]

I've found a quite a few of these ladybirds recently, this one is on a fennel plant growing by the sea in Suffolk. It'ss a different shape to a 7-spot, longer than it is wide and fairly flat shaped when viewed from side on. Is it an Adonis ladybird?





Sorry about the poor pictures, as soon as I pointed my camera at it it burrowed in between the flowers

[Jason Claxton]

Yes,looks like an Adonis Ladybird to me,Metalfish.

[Wild-Woman]

Very nice find.

[metalfish]

I'm very pleased about that, thank you. I recently bought some binoculars that focus extremely closely & they've opened up the wonderful world of insects to me

[Paul mabbott]

Yes, the elongated shape is typical of Hippodamia species.
The diagnostic feature, best seen on the middle photograph, is the pattern on the forebody. On the Adonis' this is commonly five black 'fingers' which don't reach the side/front of the forebody or, as in this case, a sold blob with white spots in it.
Nice find - this is not a common species but can be quite numerous when it is found - most usually on ruderal plants on disturbed soil, commonly by rivers. Where was this, for interest?

[Jason Green]

Great spot - Notable-Nb I believe, and one I've only ambled upon once.

[Anzu]

Lovely shots, Last month I started a new job where I sometimes work out in fields hand harvesting wheat, and I kept spotting these guys crawling over the wheat, and there were some mating ones too. After finding out what species they were the next time I saw one I snuck it home to take some pictures.

I only found them in the wheat fields, I wonder if they are quite fussy about where they reside?

[Jason Claxton]

Originally Posted by Anzu

Lovely shots, Last month I started a new job where I sometimes work out in fields hand harvesting wheat, and I kept spotting these guys crawling over the wheat, and there were some mating ones too. After finding out what species they were the next time I saw one I snuck it home to take some pictures.

I only found them in the wheat fields, I wonder if they are quite fussy about where they reside?

Normally I find them on dry areas such as disturbed ground with sparse to very sparse vegetation,usually either gravelly(Gravel pits,even a gravel covered car park)or sandy(I've found them in horse fields,that have been munched very short and scuffed up with barish sandy areas.And also on shingle too.

But I may be in the habit of searching these habits only.

Maybe yours ,Anzu ,are from more suitable habitat near to the wheat or possibly just from the barish dry margins around it.Most of mine I find running about on the ground between plants in sunny weather.

Jason

[Anzu]

Originally Posted by Jason Claxton

Normally I find them on dry areas such as disturbed ground with sparse to very sparse vegetation,usually either gravelly(Gravel pits,even a gravel covered car park)or sandy(I've found them in horse fields,that have been munched very short and scuffed up with barish sandy areas.And also on shingle too.

But I may be in the habit of searching these habits only.

Maybe yours ,Anzu ,are from more suitable habitat near to the wheat or possibly just from the barish dry margins around it.Most of mine I find running about on the ground between plants in sunny weather.

Jason

the wheat plants I work with in both the fields that I found them in are sparsely planted in small plots in neat rows with dry soil (unwatered) for genetic research. Also one of the fields was very large and I was in the center of it. It wasn't swarming in them but there were quite a few.

[metalfish]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Yes, the elongated shape is typical of Hippodamia species.

Nice find - this is not a common species but can be quite numerous when it is found - most usually on ruderal plants on disturbed soil, commonly by rivers. Where was this, for interest?

These pics were taken on Landguard nature reserve, a coastal habitat on a small peninsula jutting out into Harwich Harbour.

I've only seen them on the fennel plants here, not noticed them on anything else though I have been looking

I've sent the pictures + info to the ladybird survey UK Ladybird Survey - Homepage along with 11-spot, thousands of 7-spot in a swarm so thick you had to put your hand over your mouth for fear of swallowing them and a few halequins too