Coccinellidae @ Lady bugs @ Lady birds @ Lady beetles

The Coccinellidae (/ˌkɒksɪˈnɛlɪdaɪ/) .^[3]) are a family of small beetles, ranging from 0.8 to 18 mm (0.0315 to 0.708 inches).^[4] They are commonly yellow, orange, or scarlet with small black spots on their wing covers, with black legs, heads and antennae. Such colour patterns vary greatly, however; for example, a minority of species, such as Vibidia duodecimguttata, a twelve-spotted species, have whitish spots on a brown background. Coccinellids are found worldwide, with over 5,000 species described,^[5] more than 450 native to North America alone.

Coccinellidae are known colloquially as ladybirds (in Britain, Ireland, the Commonwealth, and some parts of the southern United States), ladybugs (originating in North America) or lady cows, among other names.^[6]When they need to use a common name, entomologistsin the United States widely prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles^[7] as these insects are not true bugs.

Most coccinellids have oval, dome-shaped bodies with six short legs. Depending on the species, they can have spots, stripes, or no markings at all. Seven-spotted coccinellids are red or orange with three spots on each side and one in the middle; they have a black head with white patches on each side.- wikipedia