• 11 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Ladybug

A ladybug at rest and taking off, then its eggs, larva and pupa.

Parts of a Ladybug

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Head
  2. Antennae
  3. Legs
  4. Elytra (wing covers)
  5. Hind wings
  6. Abdomen
  7. Pronotum
  8. Spots
  9. Eggs
  10. Larva
  11. Pupa

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the parts of a butterfly

All 11 parts on the diagram

Show the list

The ladybug 8

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

Egg, larva, pupa 3

  1. Eggs Yellow or orange, laid in a cluster near aphids.
  2. Larva The young ladybug: long, spiny, shaped like a tiny alligator.
  3. 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

The body parts of a ladybug are a head with two short antennae, a pronotum behind it, six legs, two pairs of wings and an abdomen. The second drawing shows its eggs, larva and pupa.

Read the full guide

The adult, then the young

Numbers 1 to 3 are the head, the antennae and the legs. Numbers 4 to 6 are the elytra (the two wing covers), then on the ladybug taking off the hind wings spread from under them and the abdomen they uncover. Numbers 7 and 8 are the pronotum behind the head and the spots. Numbers 9 to 11 are the young: the eggs on a leaf, the larva and the pupa on a stem.

  • The line down a ladybug's back is where the two wing covers meet.
  • A larva looks nothing like an adult. Look for six legs near the front of a long body.

Questions and answers

What are the wing covers of a ladybug called?

Elytra. One is an elytron. They are the front wings, hardened into two domed shells. At rest they close over the back and cover the thin hind wings.

Are the parts of a ladybird the same?

Yes. Ladybird and lady beetle are other names for the ladybug, so the parts are the same.

How many spots does a ladybug have?

It depends on the kind. The seven-spotted lady beetle has seven and the two-spotted has two. Some kinds have many more, and some have none.

What does a ladybug larva look like?

Nothing like the adult. It is long and spiny, tapers toward the tail, and is often dark with orange marks. People say it looks like a tiny alligator.

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