How many kinds of ladybug are there on St. Martin? I’ve found eight so far. I guess that’s a pretty good example of why the guide is, by necessity, incomplete. To include all the ladybugs I know, plus photos of at least one larva an pupa would take a couple of pages. Pretty soon, the book would be an encyclopedia.
This ladybug is the Variable Lady Beetle, or Common Australian Lady Beetle, and as you can guess, it is originally from Australia. It probably came here via Florida. Unlike most foreign insects, which were introduced here accidentally, some ladybugs were brought on purpose because they are predators of other insects, like scale insects and aphids, that are considered pests.
