Insect
Western Polished Lady Beetle
Cycloneda politaAlso known as Western Blood-red Lady Beetle, Polished Ladybug, Western Spotless Ladybird Beetle
Western polished lady beetles are voracious aphid hunters distinguished by their glossy, unspotted red elytra and pale-patterned black pronotums. Adults and their spiny, alligator-like larvae patrol foliage on sunny days, consuming dozens of soft-bodied garden pests every day. When threatened, they often tuck in their legs and release bitter yellow hemolymph from their knee joints in a chemical defense known as reflex bleeding.
BeneficialCarnivorousDiurnal
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyAphids, Scale insects, Insect eggs
Predators
- Songbirds
- Crab spiders
- Assassin bugs
ThreatsBroad-spectrum insecticides, loss of floral resources, and competition with non-native lady beetles
HabitatsMeadows, grasslands, agricultural fields, coastal scrub, and suburban gardens
Life span1–2 years
Classification
- OrderColeoptera
- FamilyCoccinellidae
- GenusCycloneda
- SpeciesCycloneda polita
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Search foliage: Inspect the undersides of aphid-infested garden leaves and flowering shrubs.
- Gentle observation: Allow the beetle to crawl freely on a hand rather than pinching its delicate shell.
- Avoid chemicals: Maintain pesticide-free gardens to encourage natural resident populations.
Competitor Katja Schulz from Washington, D. C., USA / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
Competitor "Asian Lady Beetle in Central-Germany & a mite" by gbohne is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/. · cc-by-sa
Prey (c) Mihajlo Tomić, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Mihajlo Tomić · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Katja Schulz · cc-by
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Mystic Meadows
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