Two-spotted Lady Beetle

Adalia bipunctata is a small coccinellid that can feature any one of a large selection of red and black forms. Some forms are similar to Mulsantina picta, but the two white spots on the head of Adalia, in contrast with a large white region or more than two spots, readily distinguish it. Additionally, Adalia is entirely black on the ventral surface with black legs, which helps rule out any other options. The two-spotted ladybird is highly variable in many parts of its native range. The most familiar form, bipunctata (forma typica), has two black spots on a red base and is common throughout its native range. A melanistic form that is black with four or six red spots is uncommon, but not rare, while the truly melanistic form is exceedingly rare. In North America, the species shows the most variation, with several forms that do not occur elsewhere, including a spotless form, a four-banded form, a form with nine to twelve spots, and a "cross-hatched" form. In addition, there are intermediate forms such as form annulata, but they occur rarely.

The two-spotted lady beetle's life cycle starts with eggs that are usually laid in clutches. The larva hatches from the egg by biting a hole in it. The larva looks very different from an adult; it has an elongated, grey, soft body with six legs but no wings. The larvae are cannibalistic. A larva goes through four larval stages. As it feeds and grows, it periodically sheds its old skin, allowing further growth. In its last larval stage, the larva is approximately the size of an adult beetle. Once it has eaten enough, the larva attaches itself to a substrate and moults into a pupa. Inside the pupa, the adult develops. Finally, the adult ecloses from the pupa.