Coccinellidae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"
Ladybird" and "
ladybug" redirect here. For other uses, see
Ladybird (disambiguation).
Coccinellidae
Coccinellidae is a
family of
beetles, known variously as ladybirds (UK, Ireland, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, India, Malta, some parts of Canada and the US), or ladybugs (North America). Scientists increasingly prefer the names ladybird beetles orlady beetles
[1] as these insects are neither
birds nor
true bugs. Lesser-used names include ladyclock, lady cow, and lady fly.
[2]
Coccinellids are small
insects, ranging from 1 mm to 10 mm (0.04 to 0.4 inches), and are commonly yellow, orange, or scarlet with small black spots on their
wing covers, with black legs, head and
antennae. A very large number of coccinellid
species are mostly, or entirely, black, grey, or brown and may be difficult for non-
entomologists to recognize as coccinellids. Conversely, there are many small beetles that are easily mistaken for coccinellids, such as the
tortoise beetles.
Coccinellids are found worldwide, with over 5,000 species described,
[3] more than 450 native to
North America alone.
A few species are considered
pests in North America and Europe, but they are generally considered useful insects as many species feed on
aphids or
scale insects, which are pests in gardens, agricultural fields, orchards, and similar places.
Harmonia axyridis (or the Harlequin ladybug) was introduced into North America from Asia in 1988 to control aphids but is now the most common species as it is out-competing many of the native species.
[4] It has since spread to much of western Europe, reaching the UK in 2004.
A common myth is that the number of spots on the insect's back indicates its age.
