LADYBIRD MATURATION

Ladybirds which have just emerged from their pupae are pale and patternless  it may take hours or days for their final colouring and pattern to develop. Rate of development varies greatly between the two species.
Immediately after emergence the ladybirds elytra are very soft: they are liable to be damaged (see developmental defects) and they provide little or no defence. Most ladybirds will crawl off into a sheltered place to allow hardening off.

	Speed of maturation varies greatly between species
	The 10-spot (Adalia bipunctata) is one of the slowest to achieve full colour. The picture to the left shows a ladybird which has just emerged. The picture right shows the same animal after 6 hours: spots are developing. Below left shows the patterns after 30 hours; directly below after 62 hours.
	Full colouration (right) may take longer. Indeed, as a separate matter, the pale colouring of 10-spots may remain orange or straw-coloured and never turn to the 'proper' scarlet red.
	Melanic ladybirds develop colours less quickly. The 10-spot left is 24 hours old, that to the right 3 days. The red colouration of this species is slow to emerge, often taking months.
	Development of colour in the decempustulata ('chequered') form of the 10-spot is slowest. The individual to the left was a week old. Indeed, some of these variants always have yellow spots - the red never develops.
	2-spot colouration develops more rapidly
	Pattern development is somewhat faster in 2-spot melanics. Left: immediately after emergence; right: after 48 hours. Pattern development of the typical, two spotted, form is usually complete after 6 hours.
	Leg colour and that of the pronotum are complete before emerging from the pupa (this is the same individual shown above left).
	Young 2-spots are paler (more 'orange') than older ones which have been overwintered. In London and other warm areas there may be overlap of generations (right © F.R.D. Linehan)
	Other ladybirds
	Cream-streaked ladybird (Harmonia quadripunctata) The individual to the left is three days old, that to the right emerged less than six hours previously but failed to develop any pattern after three days. Note that the pronotal pattern is distinct almost immediately after emergence from the pupa.
	Pine ladybird  (Exochomus quadripustulatus) This (damaged) individual shows the emergent colours of the Pine: the pronotum is intensely black but the elytra yellow with a white rim. The normal colours appear within 6-12 hours.
	7-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) The elytra are yellow on emergence although the pronotum is dark. Spots appear after four hours (right). 'New' ladybirds often stretch their wings (which are also colourless) to avoid distortion.
	Cream-spot ladybird (Calvia quattuordecimguttata) The distinctive larva (left) eats aphids and grows through several instars. Finally it fattens (left) and attaches itself to a tree trunk or leaf  .....
	......  to form a pupa which is also distinctively patterned (left).  The imago which emerges from the pupa is very pale at first and might be confused with an immature Orange Ladybird although it has white rather than yellow on its pronotum and is usually smaller.
	Orange ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata) The yellow larvae (left) of the Orange ladybird might only be confused with those of the 22-spot.  In their final larval stage they become fatter (right) ........
	......   and pupate (left). The individual on the right has only just pupated (having lost its larval 'skin') while that to the left is a day old and the pupal skin has hardened and darkened. After a week or so the imagine emerges - distinguished by the bright yellow patches on the forebody (right).

Ladybirds live for about a year so in many cases there should be no overlap of generations: the over-wintering beetles mate, lay eggs and die. In fact there is considerable overlap especially in warm areas and when mating and egg-laying occur early in the spring. Sometimes the different generations may be told apart by their colours. The 'new' generation being orange while the 'old' generation is a darker scarlet (right) © F.R.D. Linehan. This can have implications for transmission of diseases and parasites between generation.

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CREATED 3/8/2002

LAST AMENDED 24/3/2006