Harlequin Ladybird :(

Mothman

I may be jumping the gun here, but tomorrow I'm expecting to confirm the identity of a ladybird found by neighbour in their house as Harlequin Ladybird.
It is larger than the 7-spot, black with 4 pinkish spots.

I'm not aware of any confirmed records in Republic of Ireland, but there are a couple of records from Northern Ireland.

Harlequin Ladybird website
Make sure to read the different parts of the fact sheet. It'll give an idea of why it's unwelcome.

Also NBDC website

Keep on the lookout and report any sightings. They like to hibernate indoors unlike our native ladybirds.

doctor evil

Can it only ever have four spots?

Mothman

doctor evil wrote: »

Can it only ever have four spots?

Please have a look at the Harlequin Ladybird website I linked to.
There is a section on recognition.
It is extremely variable from orange with about 20 spots to total black or almost totally orange or any variable in between!

Mothman

Confirmed
Forgive the dirt. These are moth scales which were in the container before I put the ladybird in. NOTE, this is one of a huge number of colour variations

Mothman

Also
Invasive species Ireland

steelydan99

Looks like a Harlequin Lady bird Axyridis Spectabilis

http://www.harlequin-survey.org/recognition_and_distinction.htm#

Hells Belle

I had a good read through those websites and didn't find anything that an Irish allotmenteer who doesn't grow soft fruit i.e me, wouldn't like about this species, until I read this:
So, what is the problem?

The reason for the original and all subsequent introductions is a perception that it is a very efficient biological control organism, particularly with respect to aphid infestations of food crops. However, highly invasive behaviour and a very wide dietary and ecological range allow it to potentially eat all the aphids in an area, out-competing native ladybirds whose populations decline by starvation. Some formerly common species in Canada are now rare. When the aphid supply fails, it will predate other invertebrates - hoverflies, lacewings, butterflies thrips etc.. Many of these are beneficial to agriculture, but are put at risk. This scenario has been experienced in N. America and is under way in Europe. The already serious problems caused by harlequin naturalisation on a continental scale could be magnified on small islands such as Britain and Ireland.

Now aphids I could do without but if that means hoverflies & native ladybirds etc get wiped out thats not good. It says they live in houses, anyone know where the best place to check would be - attic, shed etc?

Mothman

Hells Belle wrote: »

It says they live in houses, anyone know where the best place to check would be - attic, shed etc?

Firstly from the little I know, they will hibernate indoors as opposed to actually live indoors. They will often use window frames and the corner would be best place to look. In a severe infestation such as parts of southern Britain there may be 1000s hibernating communally indoors. Not pleasant. Also I've read that they bite if hungry and they secrete a staining yellow substance.

If it gets a hold here, it has the potential to have a devastating effect on the natural balance amongst our native flora and fauna.

I haven't read of the impacts in Britain but I would think they should be well manifested by now even though it is only a few years.

By the way the one I got photo of was about same size as a typical 7-spot.

artieanna

I don't like the sound of these lads..

All I can say is if I come across any bug that I'm not familiar with, I post it up here on nature and birdwatching.

tricky D

Irish Times article with reference to MM sighting

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1207/1224284926245.html

Mothman

Page on NBDC

recedite

I don't think too many people will be able to identify these beasts.
There could be lots of them around for all we know.

kylith

I think I may have seen one of these yesterday, on a plant near the NAC in Blanchardstown. It was quite small, bright yellow, and had a multitude of spots. I really should have taken a picture, I suppose.

Mothman

Harlequin ladybirds are not small, about the same size as the 7-spot ladybird, the usual one that is red with black spots.

Small yellow with loads of spots is probably 22 spot ladybird

kylith

That'd be it then. It's the first time I've seen one

kbbucks

A ladybird landed on my shoulder today, I had heard about the threat of Harlequins before & thought this one looked a bit different to the normal ones I see so checked it online & it does appear to me to be a small Harlequin.
I submitted a siting on the biodiversityireland.ie site along with a picture.
Have a look at the attachments, could it be one?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

That's a 14 spot ladybird not a harlequin.

kbbucks

Hopefully you're right, although going by this table the best match is the Harlequin:
http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Ladybird-descriptions_Info-pack_2006_v.1.5_IRELAND.pdf

Also the colour of the one I pictured is a much darker orange than a 14 spot & the spots themselves are not hugely angular (depending on the angle you're looking at it I suppose) which doesn't fit in with their description on the biodiversity ireland site:

Remarkably invariant. The ground colour ranges from white to deep yellow. Markings on the elytra are invariably angular, square and linked to form a complex pattern.

I do agree there are pattern similarities with the 14-spot and unless it's a juvenile its probably much too small to be a Harlequinn.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Oh it's definitely a 14 spot.

There's a good ID chart available here;
http://www.ladybird-survey.org/downloads/Ladybird%20descriptions_Info%20pack_2006_v.1.3.pdf

kbbucks

Thanks for taking a look - it's pretty obvious to me now it's a 14 spot!

kbbucks

I sent the pictures above to biodiversity ireland at the same time as originally posting here & they replied saying they're pretty sure it is a Harlequin and are sending the pictures on to Roy Anderson in the UK for verification, it'll be interesting to see what he comes back with.

Then today in the same office I found the first one I spotted another one, there can be no doubt this time about what it is [going by the various charts etc out there]. I captured this one so will get more pictures for scale etc (it is quite big)& will post here later.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Well that one is definitely a harlequin.

Snowc

kbbucks wrote: »

I sent the pictures above to biodiversity ireland at the same time as originally posting here & they replied saying they're pretty sure it is a Harlequin and are sending the pictures on to Roy Anderson in the UK for verification, it'll be interesting to see what he comes back with.

Then today in the same office I found the first one I spotted another one, there can be no doubt this time about what it is [going by the various charts etc out there]. I captured this one so will get more pictures for scale etc (it is quite big)& will post here later.

I would be 99% sure that is a Harlequin .

Iranoutofideas

Somebody posted a thread in the gardening forum about finding ladybirds indoors and they posted a photo of what looks like a Harlequin

FaulknersFav

Iranoutofideas wrote: »

Somebody posted a thread in the gardening forum about finding ladybirds indoors and they posted a photo of what looks like a Harlequin

Thanks for the help on this Iranoutofideas.
That was me who posted the pics of the ladybirds. They definitely seem to be Harlequins after I looked them up online.

Here are the pics
http://imageshack.com/a/img673/6045/F6m3Vs.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img907/5930/StN7Zp.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img911/1023/vmQVz7.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img538/419/Crz8aB.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img540/3460/AsWUrq.jpg


What does one do with them??

Iranoutofideas

FaulknersFav wrote: »

Thanks for the help on this Iranoutofideas.
That was me who posted the pics of the ladybirds. They definitely seem to be Harlequins after I looked them up online.

Here are the pics
http://imageshack.com/a/img673/6045/F6m3Vs.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img907/5930/StN7Zp.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img911/1023/vmQVz7.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img538/419/Crz8aB.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img540/3460/AsWUrq.jpg


What does one do with them??

Have a good look around a trap as any of them as possible I'd imagine. Try contacting biodiversity Ireland they have a website and will probably be able to give you advice

FaulknersFav

Ok thanks