Coccinellidae is a family of small beetles called ladybugs in North America and ladybirds elsewhere. More than 6,000 species occur globally in a variety of habitats. They are oval with a domed back. Adult females are larger than males. Many species have warning colours and patterns that warn predators that they are distasteful. Most are carnivorous, preying on insects such as aphids. They are promiscuous breeders, and may lay their eggs near prey colonies, so their larvae have a close food source. They develop from larva to pupa to adult. Temperate species hibernate during the winter; tropical species are dormant during the dry season. Since they prey on pests, most coccinellids are beneficial insects and some have been introduced outside their range as biological control agents. A few are pests themselves, and invasive forms pose a threat to native species. Threats to coccinellids include climate change and habitat destruction. They feature in folklore, religion, poetry, and nursery rhymes.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinellidae
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1783:
Mount Asama in Japan began a climactic eruption, which exacerbated the Great Tenmei famine and led to thousands of deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenmei_eruption
1892:
Lizzie Borden's father and stepmother were found murdered in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts; she was later tried and acquitted for the murders. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizzie_Borden
1972:
President Idi Amin announced the expulsion of Asians from Uganda. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_of_Asians_from_Uganda
1983:
Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo, the president of Upper Volta, was ousted in a coup d'état led by Thomas Sankara. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Upper_Voltan_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
hoity-toity: 1. (uncountable, archaic) Behaviour adopted to demonstrate one's superiority; pretentious or snobbish behaviour; airs and graces. 2. (uncountable, obsolete) Flighty, giddy, or silly behaviour; also, noisy merriment. 3. (countable, Britain, dialectal) A young woman regarded as flighty, giddy, or silly. 4. Affected or pretentious, sometimes with the implication of displaying an air of excessive fanciness or ostentation; pompous, self-important, snobbish. 5. (obsolete) Flighty, giddy, silly; also, merry in a noisy manner. 6. Flightily, giddily. 7. Merrily, in a noisy manner. 8. (dated) Expressing disapprobation or surprise at acts or words that are pompous or snobbish, or flighty. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hoity-toity
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
American leadership in this world really is indispensable. It's up to us, through action and example, to sustain the international order that's expanded steadily since the end of the Cold War, and upon which our own wealth and safety depend. … we are just temporary occupants of this office. That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions — like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties — that our forebears fought and bled for. Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, it's up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them. --Barack Obama https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Barack_Obama