giant lady beetles

Anatis is a genus of large lady beetles appropriately called giant lady beetles. Up to ten species have been described worldwide, but not all are widely recognized. Seven species occur in North America North of Mexico, and two species occur in Minnesota.

Anatis are found in a variety of habitats but mostly in forests and woodlands. Most species live in coniferous or deciduous trees. Both larvae and adults feed mostly on aphids, but also on sawfly larvae and leafhopper larvae.

Anatis are most active from April through July. Adults overwinter in protected places, including under bark or in leaf litter.

Adults are oval and ¼″ to 7⁄16″ (7.2 to 10.5 mm) in length, which is small to medium-sized for beetles, large for lady beetles. They are highly variable in both color and markings. Most are orange with black spots, some are pale gray with black spots, some are orange with no spots. Adults darken as they age. On older individuals the black spots may be hard to see against the dark background color.

The antennae are short and have ten segments. The last three segments are slightly expanded. The last two segments form a weak triangular club.

The hardened wing covers (elytra) are distinctly to slightly flattened on the margins (margined). At the tip of each elytron on the inner margin (suture) there is a small tuft of short hairs, but this is not visible in most photos.

When viewed from above, the legs are barely visible. On the middle and hind legs, the fourth segment (tibia) has two spurs at the tip. The last part of each leg (tarsus), corresponding to the foot, has a pair of claws at the tip. Each claw has a large, squarish tooth at the base.

Sources

24, 27, 29, 30, 82, 83.

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota