Ashy Gray Lady Beetle

Ashy Gray Lady Beetle

Olla v-nigrum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Mexico City

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

9 Verified sightings at Mexico City
79 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Ashy Gray Lady Beetle

Olla v-nigrum is a species in the family Coccinellidae ("lady beetles"), in the suborder Polyphaga. The species is known generally as the ashy gray lady beetle. The distribution range of Olla v-nigrum includes Central America, North America, and Oceania. It is usually gray or pale tan with small black spots on its elytra and thorax. However, a variation can resemble Chilocorus orbus, another species of lady beetle. This form is black with two red spots on the wing covers and has white on the edge of the prothorax.

The V in its name (v-nigrum) comes from the fact that Mulsant originally described the "prothorax" (pronotum) as "adorned with a V and four black dots". Olla v-nigrum has two color variants: gray with black spots or black with red spots. They are usually anywhere between 3.7 to 6.1 mm (0.15 to 0.24 in) in length. Olla v-nigrum is often confused with Chilocorus sp. which usually have more flared elytra and a distinct shape. They do not have white marking on their heads like Olla v-nigrum. Olla v-nigrum spots tend to be triangular and slope away from where the wings meet.

Olla v-nigrum lack an infundibulum in female genitalia. Olla v... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
3 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
4 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mendoza 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
2 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
~10%
3 Mesa 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
6 Montevideo 🇺🇾 Uruguay
~10%
7 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
8 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
10 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle in Mexico City?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle sighting in Mexico City on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 388th most-seen of the 557 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle in Mexico City?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle in Mexico City on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle?

Between 9 pm and midnight

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ashy Gray Lady Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Mexico City the best place to see an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle?

32nd of 33

Of the 33 cities where we can rate Ashy Gray Lady Beetle sightings, Mexico City ranks 32nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Mendoza (Argentina, about 20%), Monterrey (México, about 10%) and Mesa (United States, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Ashy Gray Lady Beetle live in Mexico City?

Same family: Coccinellidae

The closest relatives of the Ashy Gray Lady Beetle that you can see in Mexico City (family Coccinellidae, Lady Beetles) are Asian Lady Beetle (about 30%), Cycloneda emarginata (about 10%) and Convergent Lady Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Ashy Gray Lady Beetle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Ashy Gray Lady Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Mexico City (9 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.

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