One more photo, for comparison. This shows an introduced Asian lady beetle (left) next to a native lady beetle (right, maybe one of the hyperaspis species, but hard to tell from this photo). The native beetle could rest on one of the spots on the elytra of the other.

I’ve been looking for some of the small native species for a couple of years. This week the elms on campus have attracted loads of large lady beetles, which gave me the idea to look for the little ones on the same trees. Success!

A ladybug with black spots is crawling on a rough, textured surface. Nearby is a tiny black beetle.