14-Spot Ladybird

Introduction

The photograph on this page of 14-Spot Ladybird by Lairich Rig as part of the Geograph project.

The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.

There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk

14-Spot Ladybird

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 4 Sep 2018

(Propylea 14-punctata) See http://www.coleoptera.org.uk/species/propylea-quattuordecimpunctata (at UK Beetle Recording) for details. As the distribution map there makes clear, this species is not common here in Scotland (though it should be taken into account that such maps reflect the distribution, not just of species but, to some extent, of people who are interested in observing and recording them). The name is properly Propylea quattuordecimpunctata (with the number spelled out), but, as with other ladybird species, a less cumbersome form employing digits is often used. Not all ladybirds of this species show the same degree of spot fusion as the one in my picture; put simply, this one has more black and less yellow than many others. The base colour also varies a little: sometimes paler, sometimes more orange. This one was on the shoot of a young tree in a small patch of woodland near a road junction that is marked on the map. See Image for an earlier picture of this species by another contributor.

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