Globally distributed family of hemispherical, flying beetles whose upper wings usually have a varying number of conspicuous dots. The most significant species is the seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) because of its predatory performance against pests. However, there are numerous other species with 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22 and 24 points. The five to eight millimetre large seven-spot ladybird (also known as God beetle or lucky beetle) is red to reddish-yellow to black and has seven black spots on both coverts. After hibernating as beetles, the animals leave their quarters from the end of March and lay yellow, oval 1.3 millimetre eggs in cracks in posts from the end of May. In June, the larvae, which are active in walking, colonise mainly the leaves of the vines. Development usually takes place in only one generation per year, from the egg through four larval stages, the pupa to the sexual organism; the larvae and the adult beetles are predatory.
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Andreas Essl
Autor, Modena