Label the Parts of a Ladybug – Worksheet With a Key

All 11 parts on the diagram

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The ladybug 8

Head The small front section, partly tucked under the pronotum.
Antennae A pair of short feelers on the head.
Legs Six short legs, three on each side.
Elytra (wing covers) Hardened forewings. They cover the hind wings at rest.
Hind wings The thin wings it flies with, folded under the covers at rest.
Abdomen The rear section of the body, under the wings.
Pronotum The shield right behind the head.
Spots Dark marks on the wing covers. The number depends on the species.

Egg, larva, pupa 3

Eggs Yellow or orange, laid in a cluster near aphids.
Larva The young ladybug: long, spiny, shaped like a tiny alligator.
Pupa The resting stage, fixed in place while it becomes an adult.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two of these use it: (1) Penn State Extension, Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle, https://extension.psu.edu/multicolored-asian-lady-beetle (elytra, the hard forewings that shield the body; black spots; the pronotum, the section immediately behind the head; the alligator-like larvae); (2) University of Minnesota Extension, Lady beetles, https://extension.umn.edu/beneficial-insects/lady-beetles (adults red with black spots; eggs yellow, orange or red, laid in groups; larvae that do not resemble adults; pupae that do not move); (3) Colorado State University Extension, Lady Beetles, https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/lady-beetles/ (wing covers; eggs in clusters near aphids; larvae; pupae attached to a surface by the hind end); (4) North Carolina State University, ENT 425 General Entomology, Coleoptera, https://genent.cals.ncsu.edu/insect-identification/order-coleoptera/ (hardened front wings, the elytra, as covers for the membranous hind wings; egg, larva, pupa, adult); (5) Wikipedia, Coccinellidae, text only, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinellidae (the head, the antennae, the short legs, the abdomen; elytra that cover the hindwings when not in flight, spots, the folding hindwings, egg to larva to pupa to adult); (6) Ohio State University Extension, Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle, https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ENT-44 (pronotum, spots on the wing covers, the alligator-shaped larva); (7) North Carolina State University, ENT 425 General Entomology, the pages on the insect head, legs and abdomen, https://genent.cals.ncsu.edu/bug-bytes/head/ , https://genent.cals.ncsu.edu/bug-bytes/thorax/legs/ and https://genent.cals.ncsu.edu/bug-bytes/abdomen/ (the head with its antennae, three pairs of legs and the abdomen behind the thorax, in every insect; the second source for those four names here). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no photograph or plate followed. Licence: own work

How it works

To label the parts of a ladybug, write a name on the line for each number. Numbers 1 to 8 are on two ladybugs, one at rest and one taking off. Numbers 9 to 11 are the young.

Read the full guide

Ladybug worksheet word bank

Eleven names, in alphabetical order: abdomen, antennae, eggs, elytra (wing covers), head, hind wings, larva, legs, pronotum, pupa, spots. Lines 1, 2 and 7 end close together at the front: 1 on the black head, 2 on the knob of an antenna, 7 on the wide shield behind the head. 4 ends on a closed shell, 5 on a clear wing.

Label the parts of a ladybug in preschool

The eight parts of the ladybug itself are a shorter sheet, numbered 1 to 8, with the eggs, the larva and the pupa printed faint. Plain names are right as well: feelers for the antennae, wing covers or shell for the elytra, wings for the hind wings, shield for the pronotum.

When marking, wing cases is right on line 4, thorax on line 7 and grub on line 10.
For coloring in: many kinds are red with black spots, and the eggs are yellow, orange or red.

Questions and answers

Is a ladybug a beetle or a bug?

A beetle. Ladybugs are the family Coccinellidae, in the beetle order, Coleoptera. Insect scientists call them lady beetles or ladybird beetles, which keeps them apart from the true bugs.

What do ladybugs eat?

Mostly other insects. Most adults and larvae hunt aphids and scale insects, and the larvae eat more of them than the adults do. Lady beetles also take nectar and pollen, and a few kinds eat plants instead.

Why are ladybugs red with black spots?

The colors are a warning. Red with black spots tells an animal that might eat a ladybug that it tastes bad. A ladybug that is handled may also give off a bad-smelling liquid.

What are the four stages of a ladybug's life?

Egg, larva, pupa and adult, as in a butterfly. Lines 9, 10 and 11 are the first three. The pupa stage lasts one to two weeks, and then the adult comes out.

Is there a ladybug worksheet with the parts labeled?

Yes. The answer key is the labeled sheet: the same drawing with its numbers, and the eleven names on their lines, head first and pupa last.