Length: 3 - 4.5mm.  Background colour: black.  Pattern colour: red spots.  Number of spots: 2-4 (4).  Spot fusions: none.  Melanic (black) forms: not applicable. Pronotum: black.  Leg colour: black.  Other features: distinct rim around the edge of the elytra.

Fourth-instar larva: grey and spiny but with shorter bristles than either the heather or kidney-spot ladybird; white patch on and around middle tubercle of first abdominal segment. Pupa: black and shiny with brown markings on thoracic region; larval skin encloses the lower part of the pupa. 

Length: 5 - 6mm.  Background colour: pink, salmon, yellow.  Pattern colour: black spots and cream streaking in two forms: (1) ‘16-spotted’: 16 black spots in a 1-3-3-1 pattern on each elytron (most common) and (2) ‘4-spotted’: 4 black spots on outer sides of elytra. Number of spots: 4-20 (16).  Spot fusions: not common.  Melanic (black) forms: rare.  Pronotum: white with 5-9 black spots in a distinctive pattern.  Leg colour: brown.  Other features: often rests head-down on pine buds, where it is very well camouflaged.

Fourth-instar larva: black, with thick dorsal spines coming from each tubercle, each branching from base into three prongs; bright orange line on each side, made from orange spots on the middle tubercles of abdominal segments one to four; one pair of orange dots on dorsal surface, made from inner tubercles of abdominal segment four.  Pupa: light greyish brown, sometimes with a pink tinge, with six longitudinal rows of black spots; black lateral transverse markings on anterior end; remains of shed spiky larval skin visible at the base of pupa. 

Length: 4 - 5mm.  Background colour: red.  Pattern colour: black spots.  Number of spots: 5-9 (5).  Spot fusions: very rare.  Melanic (black) forms: no.  Pronotum: black with anterior-lateral white marks.  Leg colour: black.  Other features: quite rounded and domed in shape

Fourth-instar larva: dark grey, with black tubercles producing fine hairs; bright orange lateral patches on first thoracic segment; middle and outer tubercles on abdominal segments one and four bright orange; lateral tubercle on segments six and seven also orange.  Pupa: unknown.

Length: 6 - 8mm.  Background colour: red.  Pattern colour: black spots, central spots comparatively large and foremost spots comparatively small.  Number of spots: 5-11 (7).  Spot fusions: rare.  Melanic (black) forms: no.  Pronotum: black with anterior-lateral white marks.  Leg colour: black.  Other features: can be distinguished from the 7-spot by more domed shape and presence of small white triangular marks on the underside, below both the middle and front legs (the 7-spot has such marks only below the middle legs). See lorraine-entomologie.org for some excellent photos of the underside.

Fourth-instar larva: dark grey/black; with black tubercles producing fine hairs; pale yellow lateral patches on first thoracic segment; sides of second and third thoracic segments pale grey; middle and outer tubercles on abdominal segments one and four yellow.  Pupa: unknown.

Length: 4 - 5mm.  Background colour: red.  Pattern colour: black spots.  Number of spots: 7-11 (11).  Spot fusions: uncommon.  Melanic (black) forms: no.  Pronotum: black with anterior-lateral white marks; broadest at base.  Leg colour: black.  Other features: black spots occasionally surrounded by a thin yellow ring.

Fourth-instar larva: closely resembles 7-spot ladybird, but smaller and without the conspicuous orange lateral patches on first thoracic segment; abdomen has orange spots in pairs on a grey-black background.  Pupa: black front section but otherwise cream with inner tubercles on abdominal segments forming two dark bands running longitudinally; orange lateral patches on first abdominal segment; inner and outer tubercles on fourth abdominal segment also orange. 

Length: 4 - 5mm.  Background colour: brown or black.  Pattern colour: black stripes, spots and patches, sometimes resembling an Egyptian hieroglyph.  Number of spots: 0-7 (5).  Spot fusions: common.  Melanic (black) forms: common.  Pronotum: black with anterior-lateral white marks.  Leg colour: black. 

Fourth-instar larva: dark grey/black; with black tubercles producing fine hairs; pale yellow patches in the centre of second and third thoracic segments; middle and outer tubercles on abdominal segments one and four are pale yellow/whitish.  Pupa: unknown.

Length: 5 - 8mm.  Background colour: red.  Pattern colour: black spots.  Number of spots: 0-9 (7).  Spot fusions: very rare.  Melanic (black) forms: very rare.  Pronotum: black with anterior-lateral white marks.  Leg colour: black.  Other features: can be distinguished from the scarce 7-spot by presence of small white triangular marks on the underside, below only the middle pair of legs (the scarce 7-spot has an additional pair of white marks under the hind legs).

Fourth-instar larva: dark grey/black with bluish tinge; with black tubercles producing fine hairs; dark orange lateral patches on first thoracic segment; sides of second and third thoracic segments dark grey/ black; middle and outer tubercles on abdominal segments one and four dark orange.  Pupa: often pale orange with two rows of dark triangular markings running down the middle; four small dark spots on anterior section.  However, (as with other ladybirds) the amount of melanin (black pigment) decreases with developmental temperature, so some 7-spot pupae are darker than others.

Length: 2.5 - 3mm. Basic colour: reddish-brown.  Pattern: five black spots. Number of spots: 5. Pronotum: reddish-brown, narrower than elytra.  Head colour: reddish-brown.  Leg colour:  reddish-brown.  Other features: hairy; elongate (oblong with parallel sides) and dorsoventrally flattened; long antennae.