eye-spotted lady beetle

(Anatis mali)

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

 
eye-spotted lady beetle
Photo by Alfredo Colon
 
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, 83.

7/23/2024    
     

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)

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

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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Tyler

eye-spotted lady beetle  

 

I can't believe one of these just came to rest on our sliding door glass

 

 

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    
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
   

 

   

 

 

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slideshow

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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

 

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Visitor Sightings
 

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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.

Tyler
7/21/2024

Location: Itasca County

I can't believe one of these just came to rest on our sliding door glass

eye-spotted lady beetle
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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