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"Once the early spring has passed, most of the lady beetles encountered in Ontario belong to two species that didn't occur here prior to 1980, the infamous "C-7", the Seven-spotted Lady Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) and the more recently introduced Multicoloured Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis). The Seven-spotted Lady Beetle is characterised by seven spots, three on each wing cover and one right behind the middle of the prothorax. This is the original Ladybird of Europe, the object of lore and legend for the last 5 centuries. Over the last 5 decades, a number of efforts have been made to introduce C-7 from Europe (and Asia) to the United States, ultimately resulting in its establishment in several eastern states. Here in Ontario the Seven-spotted Lady Beetle has moved in to become the dominant member of the Coccinellidae, common almost everywhere I go and completely replacing the formerly common Nine-spotted Lady Beetle (Coccinella novemnotata). Although C-7 is considered entirely beneficial and is reared for release against aphids, its impact on apparently rare native species, such as the Nine-spotted Lady Beetle, has not been well documented. Nine-spotted Lady Beetles have not been collected (or photographed) in Ontario since 1982, about the time that the Seven-spotted Lady Beetle became abundant. There are anecdotal reports of Coccinella novemnotata from Ontario in the last 5 years, but these reports probably represent misidentifications and the Nine-spotted Lady Beetle is probably extirpated from at least southern Ontario."
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Phylum Arthropoda 
Class Insecta 
Discover Life
World Register of Marine Species 
