Nordic Ladybird Scymnus jakowlewi
This is a northern species occurring in Sweden, Norway and Finland.
One recorded in Clackmannanshire in 1982.
Identification
A typical Scymnus species, black with a red spot at the rear of each wing case.
The spots can be large but are usually small and dull, occasionally absent.
A photograph of the Scottish specimen is published in Justamond and Williams (2025).
Female with black pronotum and face
Males have a red face and leading edge to pronotum
This is the only Scymnus species with a pair of red spots on the rear of the wing cases.
The only other similar species with rear spots are in the genus Nephus.
Nordic Ladybird can be distinguished by the presence of a prosternal keel, this feature is absent on the Nephus species.
The centre of the two rear spots are situated at three quarters of the wing case length.
The spots are sometimes large and bright but are usually fairly small and dull with smudged margins.
Sometimes the spots are missing and these specimens will be very difficult to distinguish from other similar species, including Heath, Dusky and Schmidt's Ladybirds.
Telfer (2015) describes Nordic Ladybird as strongly resembling Schmidt's Ladybird, except for the rear wing case spots.
I do not know if Nordic Ladybird has a metasternal groove or not. (Schmdt's has a metasternal groove, whilst this feature is absent or obscure on Heath and Dusky).
The Clackmannanshire specimen was a typical female with a black pronotum and face.
Justamond and Williams (2025) report that females can show pale markings on the corner of the pronotum.
Males have orangey red faces and leading edges to the pronotum, so combined with any spots present are quite distinctive.
The legs and antennae are pale orangey red.
Sometimes shows pale reddish margins to the rear of the wing cases.
Habitat
The only British record is a female at Dollar Glen, Clackmannanshire, 24th January 1982, found in a grass tussock on the edge of a burn at 350m, Richard M. Lyszkowski.
In northern Europe it is reported from heathland and pine forests, often in slightly warmer microclimates.
There is a lot of potential habitat in northern Britain, so there is the possibility of the species being rediscovered with some careful searching and a lot of luck.