Variable Ladybird

Description:

Coelophora inaequalis (Fabricius, 1775). In the spotting of a Variable Ladybird which I published in Project Noah immediately before this one, I mentioned that its colouring made it uncommon in our area. However, this one is even more uncommon. If my notes and memory serve me well, this is the only one I have ever seen in these colours. I am aware that not everyone is quite so enthusiastic as I am about such everyday insects as Ladybirds. However, I think they are just magnificent.

Habitat:

This Variable Ladybird was spotted in our vegetable plot in the late afternoon, around 5:30 pm.

Notes:

Just in case anyone is wondering what is the whitish "sprinkling" on the ladybird, I really don't know. My guess might normally be something like pollen, but not in this case. If you compare the first two pictures (which were taken perhaps a second or two apart), you can see that the pattern of "sprinkling" on the right elytron changes. This is a case where I did not make sufficiently good notes at the time. Could this "sprinkling" perhaps be a "sparkling" on the glossy surface, caused by my camera's flash?