Ladybug VS ladybird

They're the same insect (of several species). I believe the former is primarily AmE and the latter BrE. Unfortunately, they are neither birds nor bugs, but beetles.

Thanks

Mr. M. -- wouldn't you condsider a beetle a bug?

(I believe that in Russian, ladybugs are called something like "***'s little cows.")

In zoology there are "true bugs", which are a completely different family of organisms from "beetles". In that sense, beetles are not bugs.

In ordinary language anything generally smallish and insect-like is a bug. So even spiders, which aren't even insects, let alone "true bugs", are bugs. In that sense, beetles are bugs.

AH020387What is the difference between ladybug and ladybird?

I've always thought that these are two different names for the same insect. It seems to me that "ladybug" is used in the northern U.S.; "ladybird", in the southern U.S. I don't know where the exact geographical dividing line is.

CJ

Hi,



I believe former US First Lady, Ladybird Johnson, was from Texas.



Clive

In zoology there are "true bugs", which are a completely different family of organisms from "beetles". In that sense, beetles are not bugs.

Yes, the 'true bugs' are of the orders Hemiptera ('half-wings') and Homoptera ('same-wings'), while the beetles are of the order Coleoptera ('shield-wings'). A jocular faux pas among entomologists is to call a beetle a bug.

Wow -- I had no idea that "bug" was actually a scientific category -- I thought it was just a catch-all term for all little crawly things.

After finding out that they're just different names for the same thing is satisfying, because I said they were the same to this one girl and she got really p.o. and started fussing me out.