Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle

Description:

Harmonia axyridis is a large coccinellid beetle. Its colour ranges from yellow-orange to black, and the number of spots between none and 22. It has a "smooth" transition between its elytra (wing coverings), pronotum, and head. It occurs in three main color forms: red or orange with black spots (known as form succinea); black with four red spots (form spectabilis); and black with two red spots (form conspicua). owever, numerous other forms have also been recorded, particularly in the native range. The beetle is typically large for a coccinellid (5.5–8.5 mm long) and even more dome-shaped than native European species.

Habitat:

It is native to eastern Asia, but has been artificially introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects. This one was observed on my back deck in Edgefield County, South Carolina.

Notes:

It is commonly known as the harlequin ladybird (because it occurs in numerous colour forms).