The Two-Spotted Ladybird (Adalia bipunctata) is a small insect in the Coccinellidae family of ladybird beetles. It is also known as the Two Spotted Lady Beetle or the Two Spotted Ladybug.

The Two-Spotted Ladybird Beetle can have a red or a yellow body with two black spots on its elytra (two wing cases). Its body is oval-shaped and slightly domed. Its wings are hidden underneath the wing cases. It has black compound eyes. Its antennae are light-brown, quite long, and slightly thickened at the ends. Its neck shield usually covers the head and has white spots. It has little black legs. 

If it is black with four or six red spots, it is a melanic or dark form of the Two-Spot Ladybird Beetle.

It is very small. It measures about one centimetre (a quarter of an inch) in length. 

The Two-Spotted Ladybird Beetle is common in western and central Europe, as well as North America. It prefers woodlands and dry areas. 

It is carnivorous, feeding on aphids and other small insects. 

The female lays eggs, which hatch into larvae (grubs). They have six legs but no wings. As they eat leaves and grow, they change into pupae. Inside each pupa, the larva becomes a beetle, and the adult emerges. 

The adult Two-Spotted Ladybird Beetle is more active during summer. In winter, it hides under the bark of trees or in forest litter (leaf litter) under fallen leaves. 

Location of photographs: Paris, France

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM