Micro ladybirds of Britain and Ireland: A guide to the smaller species of Coccinellidae

Micro ladybirds AIDGAP is a photo-based identification guide to these widespread but inconspicuous beetles.

• Covers 25 species
• Illustrated with colour photographs throughout
• No specimen preparation needed

With around 50 resident species in Britain and Ireland, ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are among the most familiar of our native insects. Around half of these are the familiar ‘macro ‘ ladybirds, but there is another half to the family. Generally smaller and much less well known and studied, the ‘micro’ ladybirds are the subject of this identification guide.

This identification guide provides highly illustrated species accounts showing the characteristic features of each species. Additional plates emphasise critical characters and allow side-by-side comparison. Using this guide, almost every species can be identified from living ladybirds in the field. All you need is a x10 hand lens, which will reveal most of the structural features of importance.

Many micro ladybirds definitely live up to their alternative name of ‘inconspicuous ladybirds’. But once you know where to look, you should be able to find a good number of species close to home. Grassy places, ivy-covered trees, evergreen shrubs and needled pines are all good places to start. Standard insect sampling techniques, such as tree beating, sweeping and vacuum sampling are productive. Why not target a roadside Scots Pine, a stand of Reedmace around a pond or the shrubs surrounding a supermarket car park?

This guide is part of Field Studies Council’s AIDGAP series (Aids to Identification in Difficult Groups of Animals and Plants). Our AIDGAP guides are accessible identification keys, suitable for non-specialists from age 16+. As with all guides in the series, it underwent extensive testing before publication, by beginners and specialists alike.