12-Spot Ladybird

12-Spot Ladybird

Vibidia duodecimguttata

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Sofia

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

16 Verified sightings at Sofia
18 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the 12-Spot Ladybird

Vibidia duodecimguttata, commonly known as the twelve-spotted ladybird beetle, is a species of ladybird beetle belonging to the family Coccinellidae, subfamily Coccinellinae. This species is present in most of Europe, in the eastern Palearctic realm, and in the Near East.

Vibidia duodecimguttata can reach a length of about 4 millimetres (0.16 in). These beetles have an oval shaped body with quite long, light brown antennae. The elytra have a slightly wider side edge. Their entire body has a light brown basic colour on the upper and lower side, only the eyes are black. The elytra show 12 whitish spots, six on each elytron (hence the Latin word duodecimguttata, meaning twelve-spotted as if by drops). There is a whitish spot on both sides of the throat.

This species bears resemblance to Calvia decemguttata and Halyzia sedecimguttata. Adults can be encountered from April through September. This beetle is mycophagous, mainly feeding on the powdery mildew which infects certain trees (including oak, hazel and alder).

First, the chase is expressed in rapid movements, with the male pausing for a moment at least twice before... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
2 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
3 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sofia 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
~20%
2 Jinan 🇨🇳 China
~20%
3 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
4 Paris 🇫🇷 France
~10%
5 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
6 Beijing 🇨🇳 China
~10%
7 Brussels 🇧🇪 Belgium
~10%
8 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
9 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
10 Lyon 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a 12-Spot Ladybird in Sofia?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a 12-Spot Ladybird sighting in Sofia on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 115 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a 12-Spot Ladybird in Sofia?

December

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a 12-Spot Ladybird in Sofia on a given day, against under 5% in January–April, August–September and November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a 12-Spot Ladybird?

Between 9 pm and midnight

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most 12-Spot Ladybird sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Sofia the best place to see a 12-Spot Ladybird?

Yes

Of the 16 cities where we can rate 12-Spot Ladybird sightings, Sofia has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Jinan (China, about 20%) and Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 10%).

Where does the 12-Spot Ladybird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the 12-Spot Ladybird is recorded against all the insects logged in Sofia (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.

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