harlequin ladybird

noun

British

: multicolored asian lady beetle

Experts have cited two causes: a warm summer which brought a plentiful supply of aphids, their main food source, and the spread of a foreign variety, the harlequin ladybird, originally from Asia, which is larger, spottier and more orange than native ladybirds …—

Rebecca Lefort, Sunday Telegraph (London), 1 Nov. 2009

Word History

First Known Use

2004, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of harlequin ladybird was in 2004

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Harlequin ladybird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harlequin%20ladybird. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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