Scymnus auritus

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Scymnus auritus is a tiny black ladybird beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is about 2 to 2.5 mm long and lives in the Palearctic region, especially in oak woodlands and other deciduous forests in Central Europe.

In spring it is often found on blooming Prunus padus (bird cherry) and Crataegus monogyna (hawthorn), and later on oaks (Quercus) and Tilia × europaea (common lime). It mainly eats aphids on oaks, and less often feeds on other trees. It has also been noted as a predator of mites on the undersides of oak leaves. Its range covers much of Europe and parts of Asia, including Cyprus, European Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia, the Russian Far East, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Western Asia, and China. It was first described by Thunberg in 1795.