Spotless 24-spot Ladybird

Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata is the only member of the genus Subcoccinella. It has the typical, almost semi-spherical, ladybird shape and is patterned with or without spots. However it differs from many of the well-known ladybirds in being neither smooth and shiny nor an eater of aphids: the wing-cases look velvety and it eats plants.
The adult 24-spot is a small ladybird, usually 3 to 4 mm long. It has the quintessential ladybird shape, quite domed with the sides forming a smooth curve from head to pronotum to wing-cases. The wing-cases are covered with short pale hairs, and though these are hard to see without a hand lens, they give the ladybird a distinctive matt appearance. The ladybird is dark orange, including legs and antennae. There are black spots on the wing cases. These vary in number and size but there are often about 20 to 24 and usually no more than 26. Sometimes spots are joined together or they can be absent completely. Dark (melanic) forms are very rare. Another extremely rare form has yellow spots, and sometimes the adult may appear totally spotless, just as in this case.
The pictured Spotless 24-spot Ladybird was photographed while ot was feeding in a mountain prairie, in Tzoumerka mountains, Epirus region, Greece.