Anatomy and physiology Īn adult seven-spot ladybird may reach a body length of 7.6–12.7 mm (0.3–0.5 in). The species has undergone significant declines on the island of Malta, yet it is unclear whether this decline has occurred at the same rate elsewhere. septempunctata took place in the drought summer of 1976 in the UK. Conversely, in North America, this species has outcompeted many native species, including other Coccinella. In the United Kingdom, there are fears that the seven-spot ladybird is being outcompeted for food by the harlequin ladybird.
Adults overwinter in ground litter in parks, gardens and forest edges and under tree bark and rocks. There are one or two generations per year. septempunctata is mainly aphidophagous it also feeds on Thysanoptera, Aleyrodidae, on the larvae of Psyllidae and Cicadellidae, and on eggs and larvae of some beetles and butterflies. It has been designated the official state insect of five different states ( Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee).Īlthough C. septempunctata has been repeatedly introduced to North America as a biological control agent to reduce aphid numbers, and is now established in North America. Both the adults and the larvae are voracious predators of aphids, and because of this, C. and including, amongst other biotopes, meadows, fields, Pontic–Caspian steppe, parkland, gardens, Western European broadleaf forests and mixed forests. septempunctata has a broad ecological range, generally living where there are aphids for it to eat.