Ladybirds of Malaysia (part 2)

I am still learning about the ladybirds likely to be found in Singapore from the Malaysian Ladybird Beetles blog. The range of ladybirds you might expect in Malaysia, at least those encountered by Joento, whose blog this is, can be found in the Subfamilies of Local Species section. I am keen to find public domain or creative commons licensed images of these insects.

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Coccinellinae

Cheilomenes sexmaculata

Public domain
Photographer: Surender Dalal

Encyclopedia of Life entry.

Coelophora inaequalis

Photographer: JamesDouch [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Micraspis discolor

Photographer: leemt2, on Flickr

Chilocorus nigritus

Coccinella transversalis

Photographer: Arthur Chapman

Encyclopedia of Life entry.

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Epilachninae

Epilachna indica

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Scymninae

Scymnus apiciflavus

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri

Photographer: Isidro Martínez

Encyclopedia of Life entry.

Anatis ocellata - Eyed ladybird in Leicestershire

The largest ladybird of the United Kingdom, the Eyed ladybird is distinctive for the pale rings surrounding the black spots on the elytra.

The pale rings are only hinted at on the edge of the elytra of this example.

This ladybird is usually found in woodland areas, mostly of conifers, like Scots pine, Douglas fir and larch.

UK Distribution

Widespread and stable.

More details

See the UK Ladybird Survey page for the Eyed Ladybird.

Eyed labybird records in Leicestershire and Rutland

The National Biodiversity Network records are shown on the map below. (See terms and conditions)

Open interactive map in new window

Ladybirds of Malaysia

As you would expect, the closest match for the ladybirds of Singapore would those of neighbouring Malaysia. An interesting website to explore is the ongoing blog Malaysian Ladybird Beetles.  Joento is an amateur entomologist from Teluk Intan, Perak, Malaysia.It is interesting to match some of the images of Malaysian species from this site with Singaporean images posted on Flickr.

Micraspis discolor

A yellow ladybird was spotted and photographed at Telok Blangah in SW Singapore in January 2012. This has the same elytra (wing case) and pronotum (neck guard) as the Micraspis discolor on the Mayalsian site.

Chilocorus nigritus

A dark, almost metalic looking ladybird has also been spotted in Choa Chu Kang New Town,Singaore in 2008. It looks quite like  the Curinus coeruleus species sometmes found in Malaysia

Harmonia testudinaria in Singapore?

Remote hunting for ladybirds in Singapore is proving both interesting and frustrating. A search for 'ladybird singapore' on Flickr provides lots of hits, for example. This can give some clues about where and when to look for these beetles, but not necessarily the name of the species found.
The examples uploaded to Flickr for ladybirds do not look similar to the species found in the United Kingdom. I am guessing that there would be more of an overlap with the ladybirds present in Australia. That could be helpful as there are efforts, in the 'Atlas of Living Australia' to map the presence of ladybird species there. Another site interested in of ladybirds present in Australia is 'Ladybirds of Australia', especially the Image Gallery.
One ladybird that seems to be present in both Singapore and Australia is Harmonia testudinaria.

One was seen on March 8, 2008 in Choa Chu Kang New Town, South West, Singapore. It has been mapped across Australia in the Atlas of Living Australia.

Are there any ladybirds in Singapore?

Some visitors from Singapore came round to visit us and left with a challenge to find out more about the ladybirds of Singapore. They took this on armed only with a guide to the ladybirds of the UK. To be honest, I didn't know if there are any ladybirds in Singapore. But they seemed keen and confident that they were there to be seen.
It turns out that there are ladybirds in Singapore and they do look a little different to their UK cousins. For example: a question was raised on the Nature Society (Singapore) Forum about ladybirds, including a picture of what looks like an 8-spot ladybird.
Another site carries a warning that not everything that looks like a ladybird turns out to be one. There are spiders that are excellent ladybird-mimics.There are some surprising pictures on this site on Macro-photography in Singapore.
There are people too who share a passion for ladybird spotting. In November 2011 The Curious Gardener blogged about different ladybirds the the habits that she had observed. As in the UK,  there are some aphid eating ladybirds and some that have adapted to eating mildrew. Of course, ladybirds across the world all go through the same stages of larva, pupae and adult.
So from a quick survey of sites on the Internet, it appears that the challenge of spotting ladybirds in Singapore is a valid, but challenging one. How many types of ladybird can be found? What is the best time of year for spotting them? What kinds of food do they prefer? Are they increasing or decreasing on the island? What steps are people taking to ensure that their own children are able to take delight in these amazing creatures?