eye-spotted lady beetle

(Anatis mali)

Conservation Status
eye-spotted lady beetle
Photo by Alfredo Colon
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Eye-spotted lady beetle is a large “giant lady beetle.” It occurs across North America in the northern United States and southern Canada.

The body is almost round, very convex, ¼ to (7.3 to 10 mm) long, and 3 16 to 5 16 (5.5 to 7.6 mm) wide.

The head is shallowly inserted into the thorax, but is visible from above. It is black except for two white spots between the eyes.

The upper thoracic plate (pronotum) is convex and wider than long. It is white with a large black spot in the center and a small black spot on each lateral margin. The central black spot has two white spots at the base and looks vaguely like a W or M, depending on if it is viewed from the front (W) or from behind (M).

The thick, hardened, shell-like forewings (elytra) are strongly convex and very narrowly flattened at the margins. They completely cover the abdomen. The background color is variable but the pattern is not. They may be yellowish-orange, reddish-orange, or dark brownish-red, but they always have fifteen black spots. Each elytron has eight spots in a 2-3-3 pattern. The spot in the middle at the base merges with one on the opposite elytron and is counted as a single spot, giving a total count of fifteen. The spots are always ringed with yellow. As the beetle ages, the elytra become darker. Older individuals are very dark reddish-brown, making the spot pattern difficult to see.

The legs are yellowish-brown. The fourth segment (tibia) on the middle and hind legs have two spurs at the tip. The last part of each leg (tarsus), corresponding to the foot, has four segments, but the third segment is very short and tucked within the extended lobes of the second segment, making the leg appear to have only three segments. The tip of the last tarsal segment on the middle and hind legs has a pair of claws. Each claw has a large tooth at the base.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Total length: ¼ to (7.3 to 10 mm)

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Forests and woodlands

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

 

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

 

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

 

 
     
 

Larva Food

 
 

 

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

Aphids on trees

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 27, 29, 30, 82.

 
  7/7/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

 

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Coleoptera (beetles)  
 

Suborder

Polyphaga (water, rove, scarab, long-horned, leaf, and snout beetles)  
 

Infraorder

Cucujiformia  
 

Superfamily

Coccinelloidea (lady, fungus, scavenger, and bark beetles)  
 

Family

Coccinellidae (lady beetles)  
 

Subfamily

Coccinellinae (common lady beetles)  
 

Tribe

Coccinellini (black-spotted lady beetles)  
 

Genus

Anatis (giant lady beetles)  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Anatis borealis

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

American eyespot ladybug

eye-spotted lady beetle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Elytra

The hardened or leathery forewings of beetles used to protect the fragile hindwings, which are used for flying. Singular: elytron.

 

Pronotum

The exoskeletal plate on the upper side of the first segment of the thorax of an insect.

 

Tarsus

On insects, the last two to five subdivisions of the leg, attached to the tibia; the foot. On spiders, the last segment of the leg. Plural: tarsi.

 

Tibia

The fourth segment of an insect leg, after the femur and before the tarsus (foot).

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Kristin Bahner

 
 

Eye spotted Lady Beetle

I found an eye spotted Lady Beetle today in Maple Grove MN. I am not sure it is marked on your map but I appreciate the site and its information.

  eye-spotted lady beetle  
 

Karyn

 
    eye-spotted lady beetle      
 

Trista C.

 
    eye-spotted lady beetle      
 

Alfredo Colon

 
    eye-spotted lady beetle      
           
 
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Other Videos
 
  The Eye-Spotted Lady Beetle
PhilipAnd TheGhostLoon
 
   
 
About

Published on Oct 24, 2012

Anatis mali, brown

Identification:
Yellow to brownish-red (darkens with age)
Black spots surrounded by pale rings
Rounded oval shape
Slightly explanate (helmet-shaped, with a slightly flared "rim")

Range: Ontario to British Columbia, south to Virginia and Oregon.
Habitat: Aboreal
Food: Aphids

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this insect.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Ken Jarratt
9/8/2023

Location: Maidenhead. BERKSHIRE. ENGLAND.

I'm sure these are rare in England. I have never seen one before.

 
  Kristin Bahner
9/28/2022

Location: Maple Grove MN

I found an eye spotted Lady Beetle today in Maple Grove MN. I am not sure it is marked on your map but I appreciate the site and its information.

eye-spotted lady beetle  
  Karyn
7/6/2022

Location: West St. Paul, MN

eye-spotted lady beetle  
  Trista C.
6/17/2022

Location: Zimmerman, MN (Sherburne Co.)

eye-spotted lady beetle  
  Alfredo Colon
8/20/2018

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

eye-spotted lady beetle  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

 

 

 

 

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Created: 6/11/2019

Last Updated:

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