#coccinelid

[drhoz]

#178 - Variable Ladybird

Coelophora inaequalis, the variable ladybird, common Australian lady beetle or common Australian ladybug. aka. Coccinella inaequalis , Coccinella 9punctata , Coccinella novemmaculata Coleophora Ripponi , Coleophora Mastersi , Coleophora veranioides, and Coccinella religiosa

Endemic to Australia, Oceania and Southern Asia. The variable ladybird gets its name from the black markings on the adult elytra, that vary from one individual to another

( See Brisbane Insects for some examples of this variability )

C. inaequalis was introduced into Florida and Hawaii as a biological control agent to combat Sipha flava, the yellow sugarcane aphid.

Photographed on a Castor Oil plant in Hamilton Hill, Perth.

[drhoz]

The Beetles on Tour

The most common beetles I saw in my grandparent's yard were the Paterson's Curse Weevil, the Striped Ladybeetle, andf the Red-and-Blue Pollen Beetle. By a happy coincidence, here's a leaf with all three (although by the time I had the camera set up, the ladybeetle had wandered around to the far side of the leaf, and is casting her shadow through it).