Bug FAQThrice-struck Lady Beetle
Axion tripustulatum · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Coccinellidae
Also called: Three-spotted Lady Beetle
Adults are tiny, measuring about 5 to 7 mm long. They are black with a pale patch on the side of the pronotum and have a red or yellow spot near the base of each wing cover, plus a small dark area along the wing seam. They occur across much of the United States, from New York down to Florida and westward to Colorado and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle’s back is black with a pale area at the front-side corner of the pronotum. Each elytron shows a red or yellow spot near the base and a small dark line along the seam.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults reach a length of roughly 5 to 7 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found throughout North America, recorded from New York to Florida and west to Colorado and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, South Carolina, Maryland, Ohio, Arkansas, Georgia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the thrice-struck lady beetle look like?
It is a small black beetle about 5 to 7 mm long, with a pale patch on the side of the pronotum and a red or yellow spot near the base of each wing cover.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this beetle found?
It occurs in the United States from New York down to Florida and westward to Colorado and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Coccinellidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axion_tripustulatum
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.