Exploring the Dazzling World of Black Bugs with Vibrant Green Spots
Nature contains endless varieties of insects, many boasting eye-catching colors and patterns. Among these are numerous black beetles and bugs decorated with vibrant green spots and splotches Their striking color combinations grab attention while serving purposes like warning predators or attracting mates Let’s delve into some of the most common and remarkable black insects highlighted by verdant markings.
Frequently Spotted Black Bugs with Lime Green
Asian Lady Beetles
The Asian lady beetle, an invasive species prominent across North America, displays variable black spots that are often lime green. Some may appear more yellowish, while others lack spots completely. This rounded, dome-shaped bug eats aphids and is slightly bigger than native ladybugs. They may congregate indoors during cold weather.
Green June Beetles
Prevalent in eastern states, the aptly named green June beetle exhibits metallic forest green wing covers dotted with yellow speckles. Their underside is also lime green. These sizable scarab beetles emerge in early summer feeding on ripe and decaying fruit. The hefty larvae are known as white grubs which damage grass roots. Adults can reach 22mm long.
Twelve-Spotted Cucumber Beetles
The twelve-spotted cucumber beetle, a major crop pest, has ten black stripes on its yellowish wing covers. Their lime green pronotum and head are also distinctive. These oval beetles measuring 6-7mm long fly from plant to plant, damaging cucurbits, beans and other produce. Larvae feed on cucumber roots, while adults consume leaves and flowers.
Infrequently Spotted Black Bugs with Emerald Green
Milkweed Leaf Beetles
Specific to milkweed plants, the red milkweed beetle wears black spots on its orange elytra and pronotum. Its antennae and legs match the body’s base color. One of the biggest spotted beetles at 16mm long, they sequester toxins from milkweed, making them distasteful. Some rare individuals exhibit green rather than black spots.
Colorado Potato Beetles
Bearing both black spots and stripes, the notorious Colorado potato beetle has ten dark lines on its yellow wing covers. Their lemon head, pronotum and legs contrast against the spots. Originally from Mexico, this ten-lined beetle has invaded North American potato crops, causing extensive damage.
Squash Vine Borers
Though technically a moth, the squash vine borer larva resembles a worm, displaying a cream body with raised black spots circled in pale green. They bore into squash and pumpkin stems, resulting in wilting and death. These native North American pests commonly impact cucurbit crops.
Rarely Spotted Black Insects with Green Spots
Convergent Lady Beetles
Found across the U.S. and Canada, the convergent lady beetle exhibits black wedges converging at the top of its red wing covers. It may also have a few tiny green dots speckling the elytra edges. Their domed shape is classic for ladybugs. Both larvae and adults are valued predators devouring soft-bodied insects.
Fourteen-Spotted Lady Beetles
As the name indicates, the fourteen-spotted lady beetle has 7 black pairs of spots on its glossy, oval red elytra. The head is black, while the pronotum can be yellow, black or red. Tiny white scratches also mark the wing covers. These aphid-eating bugs are important predators, alongside their spiky, orange-marked larvae.
Green Lacewings
Though not a beetle, the fierce green lacewing larva strongly resembles one. Bearing pinchers protruding from its tail end and spiny tubercles, each tubercle has an emerald dot at its base, appearing spotted. Nicknamed “aphid lions,” these voracious predators feast on soft insects like aphids, playing a key pest control role.
Appreciating the Diversity of Black and Green Bugs
Whether beneficial guardian or pernicious pest, black beetles and insects decorated with vibrant green spots adorn fields and forests worldwide. Their eye-catching color combinations variously attract mates, repel predators, and provide camouflage. So admire the spectacular convergence of jet black and emerald hues on your next nature outing.
How to identify beetles
Beetles are insects from the order Coleoptera — which means sheath-winged. In most beetles, the front pair of wings has adapted to form tough, protective cases that lie across their back, giving them their armoured appearance. These wing cases (called elytra), protect the more delicate wings that are actually used for flight. When theyre ready to take off, the wing cases pop up and the functional wings come out, ready to launch the beetle into the air. Not all beetles can fly, and some have really short wing cases that dont completely hide the abdomen.
Which beetles am I likely to see?
Beetles are one of the most diverse groups of animals on the planet, with over 400,000 different species across the world — there are over 4,000 species in the UK alone! Even without looking too hard, its easy to stumble across beetles in almost any habitat. They sit on flowers, climb up trees, and even wander across paths. There are also plenty of large, or brightly coloured beetles to catch our attention, from the big and bulbous bloody-nosed beetle, to the bright red or yellow ladybirds.
Weve picked out a few of the more recognisable beetles that youre likely to bump into, but first here are a couple of words from beetle biology that you might find helpful:
- Pronotum – the hard, plate-like structure covering the part of the body just behind the head
- Elytra (singular elytron) – the hardened wing cases that cover the rear body section of most beetles
When & where: April-June. Widespread in south and central England, on grassland, heathland, and hedgerows. Often seen plodding across paths.
Description: A large (up to 23 mm), shiny black beetle with a bluish sheen. The body is rounded, and the pronotum is wider at the front than the back. The antennae are distinctly bobbly.
The similar small bloody-nosed beetle only reaches around 11 mm long and has a more evenly rounded pronotum.
Bloody-nosed Beetle ©Bruce Shortland
Bloody-nosed beetle © Tom Hibbert
Bloody-nosed beetle © Tom Hibbert
Bloody-nosed Beetle ©Philip Precey
When & where: April-September. Across the UK on bare, sandy ground on heathland, grassland, dunes, and often brownfield sites.
Description: A large (up to 15mm) and distinctive metallic green beetle with yellowish spots on the wing cases, purple-bronze legs, and large, prominent eyes.
Green Tiger Beetle ©Philip Precey
Green tiger beetle © Ross Hoddinott/2020VISION
Green tiger beetle © Vaughn Matthews
When & where: April-October. Widespread in a variety of habitats, including gardens. Largely nocturnal, hiding under logs and stones during the day.
Description: A long, slender black beetle with large jaws and short wing cases that dont cover the abdomen. When threatened, it curls its abdomen up in a scorpion-like posture.
Devils coach horse ©Paul Richards
Devils Coach Horse ©Russ Cribb
devils coach horse by Alan Price
When & where: March-November. An introduced species thats now common across the UK. Often tries to enter buildings in autumn, looking for somewhere to spend the winter.
Description: A highly variable ladybird. Can be yellow, orange, red, or black, with 0-21 spots. The most commonly seen forms are orange with 15-21 black spots, or black with 2-4 orange or red spots. The pronotum is often white, with a large, black M-shaped mark. Larger than many similar ladybirds (over 5 mm), with reddish-brown legs.
Harlequin ladybird © Rob Bates
Roosting harlequin ladybirds © Philip Precey
Harlequin ladybird ©Paul Hobson
Harlequin Ladybird ©Amy Lewis
Harlequin Ladybird ©Rachel Scopes
When & where: March-October. Widespread and common across the UK.
Description: One of our most familiar ladybirds, with seven small black spots spread symmetrically across its red back: three on each wing case, with the seventh at the front spread across both of them. It has black legs.
7-spot Ladybird ©Dawn Monrose
7-spot Ladybird ©Rachel Scopes
When & where: April-September. Meadows and grassy areas in Wales and the southern half of England. Often visits flowers on sunny days.
Description: A slender, metallic green beetle, with a gap between the two wing cases. Males have obviously swollen thighs.
Male swollen-thighed beetle © Tom Hibbert
Male swollen-thighed beetle © Chris Lawrence
Male swollen-thighed beetle © Jon Hawkins – Surrey Hills Photography
Male swollen-thighed beetle © Guy Edwardes/2020VISION
When & where: May-July. Widespread in England and Wales, rarer in Scotland. Found in woodlands and hedgerows, often visiting flowers.
Description: A black and yellow beetle that mimics the patterning of a wasp, with several yellow bands across the wing cases. It has long antennae (though relatively short for a longhorn beetle) that are reddish near the base and darker towards the tip. The legs are also reddish, with darker thighs.
Wasp beetle © Vaughn Matthews
Wasp Beetle ©Penny Frith
Wasp beetle © Les Binns
When & where: May-August. Widespread in England and Wales, reaching southwest Scotland. Found around woodland edges and hedgerows. Often visits flowers, especially umbellifers, brambles, and thistles.
Description: A distinctive black and yellow beetle, with long legs and very long antennae. The head and pronotum are black, the wing cases are yellow with black markings and taper towards the rear. The black markings vary, but usually appear as two complete black lines on the rear half, and two broken black lines on the front half.
Black-and-yellow longhorn beetle © Jon Hawkins – Surrey Hills Photography
Black-and-yellow longhorn beetle © Tom Hibbert
Black-and-yellow longhorn beetle © Tom Hibbert
When & where: April-August. Widespread in England, Wales, and Scotland. Found in woodland and wooded parks, often visiting flowers.
Description: A mottled yellowish-brown and black beetle. It has two large black spots on its wing cases, with a pale band either side of each spot. The antennae are relatively short for a longhorn beetle.
Black-spotted longhorn beetle © Brian Eversham
Black-spotted longhorn beetle © Tom Hibbert
Black-spotted longhorn beetle © Tom Hibbert
When & where: April-August. Widespread in England, though scarcer in the north and absent from the southwest. Found in meadows and hedgerows, often sitting on umbellifer or thistle flowers.
Description: A large and distinctive beetle. Mostly a shining gold colour with black mottling. The antennae are incredibly long, with bands of black and bluish-grey.
Golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle © Jon Hawkins – Surrey Hills Photography
Golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle © Tom Hibbert
Golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle © Tom Hibbert
Golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle © Jon Hawkins – Surrey Hills Photography
When & where: May-August. Woods, parks and gardens in south-east England. Males can be seen flying at dusk.
Description: A huge, bulky beetle that can be 50-75 mm long. They have a broad black head and pronotum, and shiny, brownish wing cases – though these are darker in females. Males can be instantly recognised by their massive, reddish-brown antler-like jaws. Females have smaller jaws and resemble lesser stag beetles, but can be told apart by the shiny brown hue of their wing cases.
Stag Beetle ©Terry Whittaker/2020VISION
Stag Beetle ©Terry Whittaker/2020VISION
Female stag beetle © Paul Browning
Lesser Stag Beetle ©Margaret Holland
When & where: May-September. Woodland, parks and occasionally gardens, in England north to Yorkshire, and parts of Wales.
Description: A big black beetle that looks very similar to the larger female stag beetle, but only reaches lengths of 30 mm. Lesser stag beetles can be recognised by their matt black wing cases, which lack the shiny brown hue of the female stag beetles.
Lesser stag beetle ©Wendy Carter
Lesser stag beetle © Margaret Holland
Lesser stag beetle © Tom Hibbert
When & where: May-October. Woodland, parks and occasionally gardens. Scattered distribution across southern England and Wales, scarcer further north.
Description: A large, iridescent green beetle with short, creamy white streaks on the wing cases. There is a distinct V shape where the wing cases meet. The green can be coppery or have golden hues.
Rose Chafer ©Derek Moore
Rose chafer © Jon Hawkins – Surrey Hills Photography
Rose chafer © Tom Hibbert
Rose chafer © Tom Hibbert
When & where: Can be seen all year, but often most common in May and June. Found on herbs, including rosemary, lavender and thyme.
Description: A small, shiny beetle with metallic green and purplish-red stripes along its back. The pronotum is mostly metallic green with some purplish-red markings. The legs are a pale reddish colour.
Rosemary beetle © Pete Richman
Rosemary beetle © Pete Richman
Rosemary beetle © Brian Eversham
Rosemary beetle © Tom Hibbert
When & where: June-August. Very common throughout the UK. Usually found on flowers, particularly umbellifers and thistles. Pairs are often found mating.
Description: A small, reddish-orange beetle. The wing cases are slightly brown or yellow-tinged, with black tips at the rear. The legs are mostly red, but are black at the end.
Common Red Soldier Beetle ©Philip Precey
Common red soldier beetle © Neil Aldridge
Red soldier beetle © Brian Eversham
Red soldier beetles © Brian Eversham
When & where: May-August. Very common throughout Wales and southern and central England. Scarcer in northern England and Scotland. Usually found on flowers, particularly umbellifers and thistles.
Description: A fairly large black and red beetle. The wing cases are glossy black and the pronotum is red with a black heart-shaped mark in the centre. The legs are black with a variable amount of red at the base.
Soldier beetle, Cantharis rustica © Tom Hibbert
Cantharis rustica © Chris Lawrence
Cantharis rustica © Chris Lawrence
When & where: April-July. Widespread in England and Wales, though more scarce in northern England. Found close to wooded areas, sometimes basking on large leaves or visiting flowers, particularly umbellifers.
Description: A large red beetle with black legs and antennae. The completely red wings cases and head help tell it apart from any similar species.
The black-headed cardinal beetle is similar, but can be recognised by its black head.
Red-headed Cardinal Beetle ©David Longshaw
Red-headed cardinal beetle © Amy Lewis
Red-headed cardinal beetle © Vaughn Matthews
The word bug is often used to describe any sort of insect, including beetles. But there is actually a group of insects known as the true bugs, from the order Hemiptera. Some of these species, such as shieldbugs, can sometimes be mistaken for beetles. One of the key differences is in the mouthparts – beetles have pincer-like mandibles, but bugs have a hardened snout called a rostrum. Like beetles, shieldbugs have hardened forewings, but only half of the wing is hardened, the rest is membranous. Their wings cross over each other when theyre at rest, so they dont show the neat line between the wing cases that beetles do.
Hairy shieldbug © Chris Lawrence
Blue shieldbug © Vaughn Matthews
How To Solve The Mystery of Virus-Like Yellow-Green Spots on Buddleia Leaves (Aphids)
FAQ
What are the green and black spotted bugs?
The Western Spotted Cucumber Beetle is yellowish green, 1⁄4 inch long, with distinct black spots on its wing covers. Mature larvae are white except for the head and last abdominal segment, which are brown. They are about 5⁄8 inch long.
What are the black bugs with polka dots?
Spotted lanternflies are a type of planthopper and although they have wings, they only fly short distances and primarily jump or walk. Spotted lanternflies lay their eggs in the fall and hatch in the spring. They lay their eggs on hard surfaces, such as homes, trees, rocks, etc.
What is the green polka dot beetle?
Diabrotica undecimpunctata, the spotted cucumber beetle or southern corn rootworm, is a species of cucumber beetle that is native to North America. The species can be a major agricultural pest insect in North America. Spotted cucumber beetles cause damage to crops in the larval and adult stages of their life cycle.
What are the round black bugs with spots?
Carpet beetles are little round bugs that are up to 3.5 centimeters long, black with a yellow and white mottling of scales on their backs, and thick yellow scales on their legs. They look a lot like mini ladybugs but are black with yellow spots, and their larvae look hairy and brown in color.
Do blue fungus beetles have black spots?
Blue Fungus Beetles (Cypherotylus californicus) are among the species which have numerous black spots. These black spots are arranged in different patterns which depend on one individual to another. The beetles of the species have dark blue elytra as they emerge in early summer. This elytra color darkens as they age.
Which bugs have uniform green coloring?
A bug may start life as a differently-colored nymph to become a type of green adult bug. Some species may have uniform green coloring while other bugs can show a combination of colors. Here are some of the typical bugs that have uniform green coloring or that are mostly green. 1. Green Lacewings
Why are Bugs green?
Bugs can be green for camouflage. This is an evolutionary adaptation that helps them blend in with the leaves they feed on or live on. A bug may start life as a differently-colored nymph to become a type of green adult bug. Some species may have uniform green coloring while other bugs can show a combination of colors.
How do you identify a green beetle?
Green beetles are identified by their green body, size, type of antennae — clubbed or serrated, pincers or mandibles near their mouth, and habitat. Up close, you can look for the two hard green wing covers, which means the wings won’t be visible. In some cases, its body shape makes the beetle species easy to identify.
Do Argus tortoise beetles have black spots?
Argus Tortoise Beetles (Chelymorpha cassidea) typically come with 21 black spots on the elytra and the pronotum. This number isn’t fixed as some Argus Tortoise Beetles count up to 100 spots. Yellow, orange, or red colors are specific to the species. All of these colors are backed by black spots.
Do grapevine beetles have black spots?
Grapevine Beetles (Pelidnota punctata) are found in a yellow color and typically show 4 black spots on the elytra. The Grapevine Beetles living in Southern states might only have 4 spots or less, while a small percentage has none. Bugs of the species living in Northern states may sometimes have more than 4 spots.