eye-spotted lady beetle

Forests and woodlands

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 ⅜″ (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.

Aphids on trees

Sources: 24, 27, 29, 30.

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota