Ashy Gray Lady Beetle

Ashy Gray Lady Beetle

Olla v-nigrum

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Rio de Janeiro

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

28 Verified sightings at Rio de Janeiro
79 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
August 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 Rio de Janeiro?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle sighting in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 24th most-seen of the 169 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle in Rio de Janeiro?

August

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, against under 5% in January to April, the lowest months. That is one of Rio de Janeiro's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain against 230 mm in December.

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 Rio de Janeiro the best place to see an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle?

10th of 33

Of the 33 cities where we can rate Ashy Gray Lady Beetle sightings, Rio de Janeiro ranks 10th at about 10%. 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 Rio de Janeiro?

Same family: Coccinellidae

The closest relatives of the Ashy Gray Lady Beetle that you can see in Rio de Janeiro (family Coccinellidae, Lady Beetles) are Spotless Lady Beetle (about 10%), Asian Lady Beetle (about 10%) and Hadda 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 Rio de Janeiro (28 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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