Red Marsh Ladybird Coccidula rufa
A common species of wetland habitats.
Identification Length 2.5-3.0mm
A deep red colour, lacking the orange tones of Spotted Marsh Ladybird.
Mostly plain with dark smudgy markings on the forward end of wing cases.
The antennae are long (wider than the head) and the sides of the pronotum (between the head and wing cases) are strongly curved and bulge outwards.
The outer edges of the wing cases are straight, forming a parallel sided mid-section.
Clayton Hill, Lee Valley, North Essex
Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
Filsham Reedbeds, East Sussex
Cornmill Meadows, Lee Valley, North Essex
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Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
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Upshire, North Essex
Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
Pevensey Levels, East Sussex
Upshire, North Essex
Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
With Water Ladybird
With Water Ladybird
With 16-spot Ladybird
With Spotted Marsh Ladybird
Pevensey Levels, East Sussex
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Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
Habitat
Occurs in wetland habitats, often amongst dense rushes.
Difficult to find by eye, due to dense habitat, but can be easy to find with a sweep net.
Sometimes on dryer edges of habitat away from open water.
Can occur on small wildlife ponds as well as extensive reedbed reserves.
Wildlife Pond
Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
Rushy Pond Edge
Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
Damp grassland
Doleman Ditch, East Sussex
Semi-dry moat with sedges Waltham Abbey, North Essex
Grassy bank of wildlife pond Upshire, North Essex
Densely vegetated damp ditch
Cornmill Meadows, Lee Valley, North Essex
Dried up pond with grasses, rushes and sedges
Hayes Hill Farm, Lee Valley, North Essex
Dense pond-side vegetation with rushes and sedges.
Cornmill Meadows, Lee Valley, North Essex
Slightly damp hollow in area of dry grassland
Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
Lakeside brambles and nettles
Holyfield Lake, Lee Valley, North Essex
Some observers find this species in winter by searching reed stems. I have not tried this but found my first winter specimen in January 2022 by sweep netting the edge of a pond in a known location.
Wintering site Historical Carp Ponds Cornmill Meadows, Lee Valley, North Essex
Look-alike Species
I occasionally find other beetle species that resemble Red Marsh Ladybird on first glance.
The one shown below was the same colour and size.
On close inspection, the large clubs on the end of the antennae and the shape of the outer edge of the pronotum (gently curved without a bulge in the centre) ruled out Red Marsh Ladybird.
Unidentified look-alike beetle species
Swept from damp grass Fishers Green, North Essex
Additional Photographs
Cornmill Meadows, Lee Valley, North Essex
Cornmill Meadows, Lee Valley, North Essex
Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
Fishers Green, Lee Valley, North Essex
Holyfield Lake, Lee Valley, North Essex
