Steelblue ladybird

Description:

A tiny metalic blue/black round ladybug (Halmus chalybeus), commonly known as the steelblue ladybird, is a species of ladybird (the beetle family Coccinellidae) and we spotted it on a flower at Akaroa Heritage park. It looked like a shiny moving dot.... It has an iridescent blue/green colouration and is a predator of other insects. It was introduced to New Zealand from Australia in 1899 and 1905 to control black scale and blue gum scale on citrus trees,where it is now common in northern regions. They are about 3-4 mm long.