Bug FAQTasmanian Ladybird
Cleobora mellyi
The Tasmanian ladybird is a small beetle about 5.5 to 9 mm long with orange-yellow head, pronotum and elytra marked by black patterns and transverse bands. It is native to Tasmania and southern mainland Australia and was released in New Zealand in 1977 to help control the eucalypt tortoise beetle.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The head is orange or yellow with black markings on the front part, and the wing covers are also orange or yellow with black patterns and transverse bands.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 5.5 to 9 mm in length (0.22 to 0.35 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is the only species in the monotypic genus Cleobora, so there are no closely related ladybirds that it is commonly confused with.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I identify a Tasmanian ladybird?
Look for a tiny beetle (5.5 to 9 mm) with an orange-yellow head and wing covers that have black markings and transverse bands.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does the Tasmanian ladybird come from?
It originates from Tasmania and southern mainland Australia and was released in New Zealand in 1977 for beetle control.
Source: Wikipedia
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleobora
Look it up elsewhere: iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.