The name Ladybird arises from the vernacular name for the common 7-Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata) in Europe. Our Lady's Bird, the Lady in this case being 'The Virgin Mary' from Christian Mythology. The red base colour of the elytra is said to represent her cloak and the 7 black spots to represent the 'Virgins' 7 joys and 7 sorrows. Relating Ladybirds to the Virgin Mary is not unusual, in 1991 Dr. A.W. Exell published his book "History of the Ladybird" in which he cites 329 common names for the Ladybird from 55 countries, of which over 80 refer to the Virgin Mary and more than 50 are dedicated to God. Contrarily one Italian name is 'Galineta del Diaolo' or 'The Devils Chicken'. Other names include the Swedish Himelska nyckla or 'The Keys of Heaven' and the Cherokee 'Great Beloved Woman'.