Lucky Birder said:Hi, can anyone put a name to this character?
Dave Adshead said:Last week, I purchased the Collins field guide, Insects of Britain and Northern Europe, its got a few ladybirds in, but this isn't one of them.
Lucky Birder said:Hi, can anyone put a name to this character?
trealawboy said:
Dave Adshead said:Last week, I purchased the Collins field guide, Insects of Britain and Northern Europe, its got a few ladybirds in, but this isn't one of them.
Stranger said:Hi
Our local paper,Weston and Worle news,has an article on Harlequin Ladybirds in which it states the Harlequin is outcompeting the natives for food in Somerset.It also says the Harlequin is preying on native Ladybirds when food is short.
I have not noticed many Ladybirds or Aphids in the garden this year,maybe it`s the lack of Aphids that is causing the Ladybird scarcity.
Neil Harvey said:There are plenty of all of the common species here in Essex; maybe a regional thing?
harry eales said:Hello LB,
I think your correct in that numbers are unique to Ladybirds. However, as I understand it, the use of numbers is simply a way of making the writing of a scientific name easier and more perhaps understandable to most people and especially those of us who haven't had the benefit of being taught Latin.
Most amateur naturalists would recognise bipunctata as two spot and decipunctata as 10 spot, but how many would recognise the number 7 or 22 when written in Latin? A scientist or taxonomist may use the full Latin specific name in a scientific paper, but it likely that it will only be read by another of the same ilk, who will understand it.
I wonder how long it will be before we see Five and Six spot Burnet Moths written as 5 spot and 6 spot?
Harry
Colin said:I have been searching for some distribution information, preferably in the form of maps for UK ladybirds. I have tried Google etc and have found several interesting sites with information on hibernation types, id pointers especially the tricky ones with lots of variation etc. but I have not found any distribution maps. Can anyone help? :stuck:
Secondly, can anyone recommend any books on ladybirds, preferably UK and Europe.
Thanks in advance.
paul mabbott said:Not a book but if you go to www.searchnbn.net and find the Coccinellidae, you can find maps for the British species.
The Majerus and Majerus & Kearns books are now somewhat out of date and I would recommend Roger Hawkins 'Ladybirds of Surrey' (from Surrey Wildlife Trust) - has a lot of Surrey stuff, of course, but deals with all British species in detail and with great pictures.
And, as a last resort, you might want to try my site at www.ladybird-survey.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/londonla.htm ....
Cheers, Paul
paul mabbott said:Strange, to the best of my knowledge it hasn't reached Somerset yet - a couple in Devon but still mainly in SE England (and Derby). There's a regularly up-dated map at www.harlequin-survey.org
Pal
SleepyLizard said:Does anyone recognise this little fellow.
5mm in length and found on 16th Spetember in Easter Ross, Scotland
paul mabbott said:Quite a long way north then ... Winds blowing?
paul mabbott said:Strange, to the best of my knowledge it hasn't reached Somerset yet - a couple in Devon but still mainly in SE England (and Derby). There's a regularly up-dated map at www.harlequin-survey.org
Pal
SleepyLizard said:Thanks for that Paul - Now I no what to look for, there are quite a few similar looking ones out there and the distribution map ( Click here ) shows them not too far south of me.
Stranger said:Must admit I have`nt actually seen any Harlequins around here.
Just goes to show I should`nt believe everything in the papers.
Still a shortage of Ladybirds in my garden,although I had an infestation of Blackfly on the runner beans which I thought might attract them.
Total count for this year has only been four.