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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Cucujiformia » Coccinelloidea » Coccinellid group » Lady Beetles (Coccinellidae) » Coccinellinae » Hippodamia » Convergent Lady Beetle (Hippodamia convergens)
Photo#338099
what kind of lady beetle? - Hippodamia convergens
Copyright © 2009 Diane Wilson

what kind of lady beetle? - Hippodamia convergens
Arvada, Jefferson County, Colorado, USA
September 28, 2009
Size: abt. 5 mm
I see 8 spots, unless you count the spot where the wings meet just behind the thorax. I don't know much about lady beetles so any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Images of this individual: tag all
what kind of lady beetle? - Hippodamia convergens what kind of lady beetle? - Hippodamia convergens what kind of lady beetle? - Hippodamia convergens
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Contributed by Diane Wilson on 28 September, 2009 - 5:28pm
Last updated 28 September, 2009 - 7:24pm

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Abigail Parker, 28 September, 2009 - 7:24pm login or register to post comments

Convergent Lady Beetle
Hippodamia convergens. The number of spots on this species varies from zero to thirteen! The spot where the wings meet does count - it's called a "suture spot." Sometimes it counts as one, other times as two - depending if the total is spots per wing times two, or spots seen with wings closed.

The white border and two converging white lines on the pronotum (the area between wings and head) are important field marks for this species. They're not unique to the species, but that pronotum plus red wings with small, disconnected black spots = Convergent Lady Beetle.

(I'm not a lady beetle expert by scientific training, but I rear all the eggs and larvae I find, and do a lot of reading and researching. I'm trying not to talk anyone's ear off, but I love the ladies!)
… Abigail Parker, 28 September, 2009 - 7:12pm login or register to post comments

 
very interesting
I learned a lot from your post. Thanks. I checked out the images of the Convergent Ladies and see the diversity in spot numbers. I never realized spot number can vary! I'm going to be looking for more ladies in our gardens in the future.
… Diane Wilson, 29 September, 2009 - 8:35am login or register to post comments

 
Please do, I'd like to see them!
Lady beetles west of the Mississippi are a challenge for me, but I do like working to ID them, and I'm slowly getting better at it!

I think what got me fascinated with them to begin with was when I saw a black lady beetle with two red spots, thought "Oh, this will be easy to ID," and then found out that not only is there more than one species, some of them are in completely different subfamilies! After that, I just had to find out more about these beautiful and complicated little creatures.
… Abigail Parker, 29 September, 2009 - 9:11am login or register to post comments

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