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>
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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>
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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>
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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>
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