Ladybird

For a complete list of genera, see list of Coccinellidae genera. The word The Little Mermaid has several definitions:. Note that not all individuals show the number of spots suggested by their names:. A series by Saban; see Saban's Adventures of the Little Mermaid. Other companies using ladybirds as their corporate logo include: Ladybird Books (owned by Pearson PLC and the Ladybird range of children's clothing sold by Woolworth's in the UK. A series by Disney; see The Little Mermaid (series). The ladybird is the symbol of the Dutch Foundation Against Senseless Violence, as you can see in the logo here. A movie by Disney; see The Little Mermaid (film).

In Russia a ladybird is called Божья-Коровка (God's cow) and a popular children's rhyme exists with a call to fly to the sky and bring back bread. A statue in Copenhagen; see The Little Mermaid. In central Europe, a ladybird crawling across a girl's hand is thought to mean she'll get married within the year. A fairy tale about a young mermaid by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen; see The Little Mermaid. In Italy, it is said by some that if a Ladybird or Ladybird flies into your bedroom, it is considered good luck. In parts of Northern Europe, tradition says you get a wish granted if a ladybird lands on you.

There can, therefore, be little doubt that the esteem with which the lady-bird, or Our Lady's cow, is still regarded and is a relic of ancient beliefs. In this, as in other cases, the Virgin Mary has supplanted Freya, the fertility goddess of Norse mythology; so that Freyjuhaena and Frouehenge have been changed into Marienvoglein, which corresponds with Our Lady's Bird. The name which the insect bears in the various languages of Europe is clearly mythic. and ancient (recounted in an 1851 publication):.

The ladybird is immortalised in the children's nursery rhyme extant:. The insects had many regional names (now mostly disused) such as the lady-cow, May-bug, golden-knop, golden-bugs (Suffolk); and variations on Bishop-Barnaby (Barney, Burney) Barnabee, Burnabee, and the Bishop-that-burneth. Ladybirds are and have for very many years been favourite insects of children, who are reputed to regard them tenderly. In agriculture, ladybirds, like other beetles, can find protection in beetle banks.

Today, they are commercially available from a variety of suppliers. In fact, their name is derived from "Beetle of Our Lady", recognising their role in saving crops from destruction. Ladybirds are beneficial to organic gardeners because most species are insectivores, consuming aphids, fruit flies, thrips, and other tiny plant-sucking insects that damage crops. (Perry & Roitberg, 2005).

The ratio of infertile to fertile eggs increases as with scarcity of food at the time of egg laying. These appear to provide a backup food source for the larvae when they hatch. Ladybirds lay extra infertile eggs with the fertile eggs. The larvae then go into a pupal stage before becoming an adult ladybird.

Ladybirds lay eggs which hatch into a larval state. The ladybird beetle copulates for up to nine hours at a time, and males may have three 90-minute orgasms in one session. This becomes quite obvious when one handles a ladybird roughly. Adult ladybirds are able to reflex-bleed from their leg joints, releasing their oily yellow toxin with a strong repellent smell.

In fact, most ladybirds are indeed toxic to smaller predators, such as lizards and small birds; however, a human would have to eat several hundred ladybirds before feeling any effects. This phenomenon is called aposematism. This defence works because most predators associate bright colours (especially orange and black or yellow and black) with poison and other unpleasant properties. Ladybirds are brightly coloured to ward away potential predators.

. Some people consider them to be a sign of good luck. Because they are useful, colourful, and harmless to humans, ladybirds are typically considered cute even by people who hate most insects. As the family name suggests, they are usually quite round in shape.

Ladybirds are small insects, ranging from 1 mm to 10 mm (0.04 to 0.4 inches), and are usually yellow, orange, or red with small black spots on their carapace, with black legs, head and feelers. Ladybirds are found worldwide, with over 4,500 species described, more than 450 native to North America alone. The name is thought to allude to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Catholic faith. Ladybirds (Commonwealth English), also known as ladybugs (North American English) or lady beetles (most scientists prefer this name), are a family (Coccinellidae – "little sphere") of beetles.

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. "Ladybird mothers mitigate offspring starvation risk by laying trophic eggs". In press. Roitberg.

Perry, J.C., and B.D. Honek, Ecology of Coccinellidae (Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1996). Hodek & A. I.

Mealybug Ladybird, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri. Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis. Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis Mulsant. Twice-stabbed lady beetle, Chilocurus stigma.

Spotted lady beetle, Coleomegilla maculata. Thirteen-spotted lady beetle, Hippodamia tredecimpunctata. Convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens. Two-spotted lady beetle, Adalia bipunctata.

Seven-spotted lady beetle, Coccinella septempunctata.