Albino ladybirds

[becks]

IS there such a thing? I came home from the pub last week to find a little bug - the same size and shape as a ladybird but a cramy transparent color with reddish little spots - just like a ladybird. What it an albino or a whole other bug?

[natalie_1982]

I don't know about albino ladybirds, and I'm not really answering the question, but sometimes you see blue and yellow ones too. Or black ones. I'm sure I'm not making it up, or maybe I am :P

[Doolallygirl]

NO I've seen black ones and yellow ones. Not blue ones though and certainly not an albino one! Did you catch it and put it in a jar for some scientists to prod about? You may have seen the ONLY live albino ladybird and let her fly away!!

[New Forester]

Yes, you can get albino ladybirds. Also leucistic and melanistic ones -- unusually pale or dark. Yours may be leucistic, if the pattern could be seen, and the general colour was cream or reddish -- true albino would be white. There are also many different species of ladybird, some of which are quite pale, roughly answering to your description.

[Doolallygirl]

I didn't mean no you can't get albino ladybirds, I was saying no that natalie wasn't making it up about the yellow ones!

[natalie_1982]

I might have made it up about the blue and purple stripey ones that dance tho!

[molly]

Have a look and see if your ladybird's here. http://www.davidbellamyconservation.org.uk/news/ladybirdsurv ey_print.htm

[natalie_1982]

Ok, so now I've looked at the website Molly posted and I was lying about the blue one. But the yellow one was there!

[iebigorna]

I seem to get a lot of ladybirds. They come into my room and even thought I put them back out, they just keep coming back in.
Anyway, I was surprised, 'cos I just found a ladybird that was so pale, almost transparent yellow, with bright white spots. Is that an albino ladybird?
p.s. Is there any significance connected to ladybirds?