Ashy Gray Lady Beetle

Ashy Gray Lady Beetle

Olla v-nigrum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San Diego

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

16 Verified sightings at San Diego
79 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
July 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 San Diego?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 358th most-seen of the 693 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 San Diego?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle in San Diego 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 San Diego the best place to see an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle?

33rd of 33

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

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 San Diego (16 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.

← Back to San Diego