False Ladybird

Special features: Similar in appearance to a ladybird, but less round - more elongated, and less dome shaped - much flatter. Also the antennae are much longer.

The bright red colouration is a bluff. It's probably quite a tasty beetle to insect eating animals, but it mimics the appearance of the ladybird in an attempt to deter predators.

This is a harmless little beetle which feeds on fungi (mycetophagous). It is not predatory, and it's larvae also feed on fungi.

Latin name: Endomychus coccineus

Size: Approximately 5mms. long

Distribution: Found in most parts of the UK.

Months seen: April to July

Food: Fungi

Habitat: Woods, parks and gardens. Usually found among decaying vegetation and under the bark of rotting wood.