About Coccinella magnifica Redtenbacher, 1843
Coccinella magnifica, commonly called the scarce seven-spot ladybird, is a beetle species that belongs to the family Coccinellidae. Both adult and larval scarce seven-spot ladybirds are predators. Their diet is primarily made up of aphids, but they will also consume many other pests including soft-scale insects, spider mites, mealybugs, and the eggs of many other organisms. A single larva eats around 400 medium-sized aphids during its development up to the pupal stage. An adult ladybird eats roughly 300 aphids before it begins laying eggs. Approximately 3 to 10 aphids are consumed for each egg a female lays, and a female will lay between 50 and 300 eggs over the course of her lifetime. A single adult scarce seven-spot ladybird may eat more than 5,000 aphids in its entire lifetime. The scarce seven-spot ladybird is often found living alongside wood ant nests. This species is present in Great Britain, and it is considered a scarce species in southern England.
