Aphidecta obliterata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Aphidecta obliterata, commonly known as the larch ladybird, or larch ladybug, is a species of Coccinellidae, a flying beetle. This species is present in Europe, European Russia, the Caucasus, Belarus, Ukraine, Transcaucasia, Asia Minor, North America (Virginia and South Carolina), and Newfoundland.
Aphidecta obliterata can reach approximately a size of 3.5–5 millimetres (0.14–0.20 in). These tiny beetles have an elongate oval body, with strongly convex elytra, smooth, shiny and densely, finely punctured. Head shows a black arch-shaped marking. Antennae are club-shaped, with 9-11 segments.
The larch ladybirds are beetles with a great variability in color and markings, with several varietas. For example, Aphidecta obliterata v. fenestrata has entirely black elytra, while usually they range from tan to brown, often with a pink tinge. They have a dark suture and usually a dark oblique line posteriorly. The pronotum is beige, with four dark brown lines forming a M mark. While other species of ladybugs have prominent spots, this insect has smaller, less distinct spots, or small blotches, if any.
Aphidecta obliterata inhabits high bogs and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 4 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 5 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 6 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Larch Lady Beetle sighting in Birmingham on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 502nd most-seen of the 811 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Larch Lady Beetle in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in June–October and December–March, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Larch Lady Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Larch Lady Beetle sightings, Birmingham ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Berlin (Germany, about 10%).
Same family: Coccinellidae
The closest relatives of the Larch Lady Beetle that you can see in Birmingham (family Coccinellidae, Lady Beetles) are Asian Lady Beetle (about 50%), Seven-Spotted Lady Beetle (about 50%) and Fourteen-Spotted Lady Beetle (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Larch Lady Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Birmingham (10 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
