Aiolocaria hexaspilota is one of the largest lady beetles in East Asia, about half an inch (11–13 mm) long, with a glossy black back laced with a red pattern that looks like a tortoise shell. Unlike most familiar ladybugs, it specializes in hunting leaf beetle larvae rather than aphids. It is not found in the United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Dome-shaped and very shiny. The body is black, with yellowish patches on the sides of the shield behind the head and a connected orange-red network on the wing covers. The pattern varies, and rare individuals have all-black wing covers.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Forests
- Forest edges
- Range
- Native to East Asia, including Japan, the Korean Peninsula, China, Taiwan, the Himalayas, and northern India. It does not occur in North America.
- Preferred conditions
- Spends summer in sunny forests, then moves to sun-warmed rocky slopes or buildings in early fall to spend the winter.
Behavior
- Diet
- Both adults and larvae prey on leaf beetle larvae. In Japan and China it is known to hunt walnut leaf beetle larvae on walnut trees.
- Social life
- In winter, adults gather in clusters of up to several hundred in rock crevices or buildings, which keeps the group warmer than the surrounding air.
- Overwintering
- Overwinters as an adult.
Life cycle
- Breeding season
- One generation a year. Adults mate in spring and then disperse.
- Clutch size
- In Japan, clusters of 20–40 orange eggs on the undersides of walnut leaves
- Larva
- Larvae grow up in about two weeks and pupate on the undersides of leaves.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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