Types of Lady Bugs

• Ladybugs are members of the beetle family.ladybug fly attempt image by Alexander Potapov from Fotolia.com
  
  Despite their common name, ladybugs belong to a class of beetles called Coccinellidae. There are more than 4,500 known types of lady beetles in existence. Insect researchers continue discovering more of them, but also note the diminishing populations of some varieties. For example, the Lost Lady Bug Project invites you to help them find the rarest ones and take photographic evidence. By familiarizing yourself with the most common ladybugs, you'll confidently identify rare ladybugs.
  
  

Checker Spot Ladybug

• The checker spot ladybug almost looks like a checker board. Its 14 black spots sometimes touch at the edges and often look more like squares instead of round dots. Another distinguishing characteristic of the checker spot ladybug is its orange color.
  
  

Parenthesis Ladybug

• The parenthesis lady bug also has unusual black shapes on its back, which look like a pair of parenthesis marks. This ladybug is red and small.
  
  

Convergent Lady Beetle

• Sold as helpful gardening ladybugs, the convergent lady beetle has a prominent white and black pattern below its head area. These are red with 13 or less black spots.
  
  

Seven-Spotted Ladybug

• The seven-spotted ladybug has seven spots. It is the cousin of the nine-spotted ladybug, which endures a population decline. This is a red ladybug and its spots may have a lot of distance between them.
  
  

Two-Spotted Ladybug

• This rare ladybug has two large spots that rest near the center of its colored wings. Its colors and spot shapes vary. If you find a two-spotted ladybug, the Lost Ladybug Project would like to see its picture.
  
  

Nine-Spotted Ladybug

• Nine-spotted ladybugs have four spots on both wings and one that intersects both wings to make a total of nine spots. The intersecting spot appears near this ladybug's head. If you see one of these, the Lost Ladybug Project wants you to take its picture "immediately" and share the image of this rare ladybug with them right away.