Bug Wiki
Sticker of Pointed-keeled rhyzobius
Bug card No. 3378 of 4,939

Pointed-keeled rhyzobius

Rhyzobius litura

The pointed-keeled rhyzobius is a tiny ladybird that does not look much like one. It is long and oval instead of round, and its back is reddish or yellowish with a dark pattern. It is only about 3 millimetres long.

Lives in
Western Europe, especially Britain, and east to Bulgaria and Greece
Length
2.5 to 3.1 mm (0.1 to 0.12 in)
Top speed
about 22 km/h (14 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Ladybirds do not sting.
What does it eat?
Like many small ladybirds, it eats tiny plant bugs such as aphids.
For real!Photo of Pointed-keeled rhyzobius
Picture by João Coelho from Ansião, Portugal. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Pointed-keeled rhyzobius about 3.1 mm long (0.12 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)
small enough to sit on your fingernailcould fly across a whole football pitch in 17 secondsmoves 2000 times its own body length every second

How big is Pointed-keeled rhyzobius compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It is only about 2.5 to 3 millimetres long.

2

It hides on trees and plants in places sheltered from wind and bad weather.

3

Further east in Europe, a close cousin takes its place.

4

Its legs and feelers are brown.

you asked

Most asked questions about Pointed-keeled rhyzobius

?Is the pointed-keeled rhyzobius a ladybird?

Yes. It is a small ladybird with a longer, oval body.

?How big is the pointed-keeled rhyzobius?

It is about 2.5 to 3 millimetres long.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Rhyzobius litura
Group
Ladybirds
Family
Coccinellidae
Classification
Insecta > Coleoptera > Coccinellidae
Lives on
Europe

Where the facts come from

  1. Rhyzobius litura (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by João Coelho from Ansião, Portugal. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: Ladybirds

Also at home here: Forests and woods

Honey jarfor grown-ups