Key for the identification of the British Coccinellidae (ladybirds)

Some of the species of ladybirds are very common in Britain and easily recognised. There are a number of keys available that identify the common species by colour patterns alone and these should be referred to for beginners. For example there is a one page pdf available at http://www.ladybird-survey.org/species_list.aspx. One problem is that many species are very variable in their colour and spot patterns and many exist in coloured and melanic (black) forms. The key below relies less on colour pattern and should allow a ladybird to be identified to subfamily and then to genus and species. This then catches all species but of necessity uses certain features of the underside. I agree for this reason it is not easy to use but it is intended for the identification of the rarer species.