Oenopia conglobata
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Oenopia conglobata | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
| Family: | Coccinellidae |
| Genus: | Oenopia |
| Species: | O. conglobata |
| Binomial name | |
| Oenopia conglobata | |
Oenopia conglobata, the poplar ladybird, is a species of ladybird beetle (Coccinellidae) native to continental Europe, Asia and Africa.
The adult beetles are 3.5 to 5 mm long and have oval, slightly curved bodies. The elytra are light pink (more rarely red to pale yellow) with a black streak on the inner edges of the elytra, bearing eight square black spots varying in size and sometimes flowing into each other. There are also completely black specimens. The pronotum is light beige and bears seven black, symmetrically arranged spots. The head is black and white. The antennae are yellow, but slightly darker coloured at the end; the legs are yellow brown.[1]
Occurrence
Oenopia conglobata is found in mainland Europe except in the North, North Africa and the temperate regions of Asia. In Great Britain, it is a rare vagrant, with just four records to date, at Flamborough Head in Yorkshire in 2014, Lennoxtown near Glasgow in 2020, Ponteland in Northumberland in 2024, and Great Dunmow, Essex, in 2025.[1][2] The origin of these records, being so widely spread, suggests at least some are accidental human introductions, rather than natural colonisation; the Lennoxtown record was on bananas indoors.[2]
The species lives in mixed forests of the lower altitudes, being found mainly on poplar, pine, larch,[1] and Prunus species such as bird cherries.
