Soldier Fly vs Pink-Spotted Lady Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Soldier Fly Pink-Spotted Lady Beetle
Scientific Name Odontomyia tigrina Coleomegilla maculata
Order Diptera Coleoptera
Family Stratiomyidae Coccinellidae
Size 8-12 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Farmland
Diet Pollen Feeders Pollen Feeders
Regions Europe North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Soldier Fly

A brightly colored soldier fly with aquatic larvae that filter-feed in ponds.

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Did You Know?

Larvae float at the surface and breathe through a rosette of hydrophobic tail hairs.

Pink-Spotted Lady Beetle

An oblong, pink-red ladybird with twelve black spots found across North America. It is unusual among ladybirds because it also eats pollen and fungal spores.

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Did You Know?

Up to 50% of its diet can be plant pollen, making it one of the most omnivorous ladybird species known.