Pink Ladybird Oenopia conglobata
Other name: Poplar Ladybird
There are three modern records on the iRecord website:
Flambough Head, South-east Yorkshire 4th July 2014
Lennoxland, Stirlingshire 14th October 2020
Ponteland, South Northumberland 12th January 2024
With two records on the east coast, including a well known bird migration site, there is a possibility of natural migration across the North Sea, but equally the records could all be accidently introduced by human activity. More records are likely and could occur anywhere.
Identification Length 3.5-5.0mm
Pink wing cases with thick irregular black markings, including a dark central line.
The pink colour can be deep and intense or often paler. The head and pronotum can be paler than the wing cases, sometimes almost white but can also be the same colour.
A photograph of this species can be found on the German website https://www.kerbtier.de
Habitat
Occurs in deciduous trees.
Similar Species
Pink Ladybird is similar to the closely related Doublier's Ladybird Oenopea doublieri, which also occurs on the continent and could occur as a future migrant or introduction.
Doublier's shares the pink colour of Pink Ladybird but has thinner black markings that resemble an emoji with a twirled moustache.
Doublier's Ladybird Minorca, Spain
