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Harmonia conformis
It takes four instars stages for a ladybird larvae to become fully grown and ready for pupating. Their length is up to12mm. For locomotion, beside their six legs, ladybirds larvae use their crochet for moving. Their crochet is at the tip of their abdomen, which can hold onto a variety of surfaces, help them for walking from leaf to leaf. Besides, the crochet hold on so that their legs are free to catch aphids. The crochet also hold the surface when in pupation. In the last instars stage, the larvae keeps on eating and becomes fat. Before pupating, the larvae finds a suitable place, which is usually a leaf surface near the stem tip. Then the larvae stays there and rest for a day, then start the last moulting.
On a Blue Jacaranda tree trunk.
Most other insect larvae consume their own eggs shells when hatched, as their first meal. The ladybird larvae don't seem to Do this. It is also found that ladybird larvae do not eat their moulted skin in all instars stage.
Spotted on Nov 10, 2012
Submitted on Nov 16, 2012
1 Comment
This is excellent information sarahaw1981 Here are the hatchlings
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/828...