Cryptolaemus montrouzieri | |
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Cryptolaemus montrouzieri. Dorsal view | |
Side view | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
Family: | Coccinellidae |
Genus: | Cryptolaemus |
Species: | C. montrouzieri |
Binomial name | |
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri | |
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, common name mealybug ladybird [2] or mealybug destroyer, is a species of ladybird beetle native to eastern Australia. The beetle feeds on mealybugs and other scale insects, and is used to control those pests on citrus orchards worldwide.
Étienne Mulsant described C. montrouzieri, naming the new species after a Marist brother and missionary, Abbe Montrouzier, who wrote an "Insect Fauna of Woodlark Island". [2]
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri is endemic to Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. It is now also present in Europe (France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and as far as Northern Germany), in North Africa, in the Afrotropical realm, in the Nearctic realm, and in the Neotropical realm. [3] [4]
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri can reach a length of about 6 millimetres (0.24 in). Adults of this species have the typical ladybird shape but, unlike many of the often brightly coloured Coccinellidae, the elytra of these small ladybirds are predominantly dark brown and have no spots. Head, antennae, pronotum, the end of the elytra and the legs are orange-brown. [5] Larvae can reach a length of 14–15 millimetres (0.55–0.59 in). They show a waxy covering that makes them apparently look like the mealybugs they prey on, [6] a case of aggressive mimicry.
The adults and larvae of these insects eat scale insects, especially mealybugs. Females lay their eggs among the egg sac of mealybugs. Larvae feed on mealybug eggs, young crawlers and their honeydew. They become adults in 24 days, after four larval stages and a pupal stage. The life span is two months. [7] [8]
This species has been used as a biological control agent against mealybugs and other scale insects. [2] [5] It was introduced to Western Australia. [2] In California it was introduced in 1891 by Albert Koebele to control the citrus mealybug. [5] It has also been introduced to New Zealand for biocontrol. [6] As biological control agent outside Australia, C. montrouzieri has the common name Mealy bug destroyer. [5] [7] C. montrouzieri predates on mealybug and soft scale insect parasites of Araucaria cunninghamii , and can be easily handled without dying or becoming inactive, making it a good biocontrol for use in plantations. [9] Although they are less interested in other trees – by many multiples – they do hunt the same pests in custard apple and citrus plantations. [9]
Araucaria cunninghamii is a species of Araucaria known as hoop pine. Other less commonly used names include colonial pine, Queensland pine, Dorrigo pine, Moreton Bay pine and Richmond River pine. The scientific name honours the botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham, who collected the first specimens in the 1820s.
Coccinellidae is a widespread family of small beetles. They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in the United Kingdom; "lady" refers to mother Mary. Entomologists use the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles to avoid confusion with true bugs. The more than 6,000 described species have a global distribution and are found in a variety of habitats. They are oval beetles with a domed back and flat underside. Many of the species have conspicuous aposematic (warning) colours and patterns, such as red with black spots, that warn potential predators that they taste bad.
Coccinella undecimpunctata, the eleven-spot ladybird or eleven-spotted lady beetle, it is native to central Asia, though commonly found in Europe, and formerly North America as its populations are decreasing. It is of the family Coccinellidae, commonly referred to as ladybugs or lady beetles.
Coccinella leonina, common name orange-spotted ladybird, is a species of ladybird native to New Zealand. It is black with orange spots. A predator species, it is present in a variety of habitats.
Calvia quatuordecimguttata, the cream-spot ladybird, is a species of ladybird in the family Coccinellidae. Its distribution is holarctic, it being found in Europe and through the East Palearctic to Japan. It is introduced to North America. This ladybird is generally 4 to 5 millimetres in length and varies in appearance depending on the geographical location. It usually lives in hedgerows and deciduous trees.
The genus Cryptolaemus consists of predatory beetles of the family Coccinellidae, whose larvae and adults mostly prey upon scale insects on ornamental plants.
Coleomegilla maculata, commonly known as the spotted lady beetle, pink spotted lady beetle or twelve-spotted lady beetle, is a large coccinellid beetle native to North America. The adults and larvae feed primarily on aphids and the species has been used as a biological control agent. Based on name connotation and to avoid confusion with other species also called "spotted ladybeetle", spotted pink ladybeetle is probably the most appropriate common name for this species.
The Epilachninae are a subfamily of the family of lady beetles, the Coccinellidae, in the order Coleoptera. Superficially, they look much like other ladybirds in the larger subfamily Coccinellinae, but they differ importantly in their biology, in that the members of the subfamily are largely or completely leaf-feeding herbivores rather than being predators. Accordingly, several members of the subfamily are crop pests, and sometimes cause locally serious crop losses.
Planococcus citri, commonly known as the citrus mealybug, is a species of mealybugs native to Asia. It has been introduced to the rest of the world, including Europe, the Americas, and Oceania, as an agricultural pest. It is associated with citrus, but it attacks a wide range of crop plants, ornamental plants, and wild flora.
Rhyzobius lophanthae, commonly known as the purple scale predator or the scale-eating ladybird, is a species of ladybird native to Queensland and Southern Australia. It was introduced into the United States in the 1890s and has since spread over the southern half of the country.
Olla v-nigrum is a species in the family Coccinellidae, in the suborder Polyphaga. The species is known generally as the ashy gray lady beetle. The distribution range of Olla v-nigrum includes Central America, North America, and Oceania. It is usually gray or pale tan with small black spots on its elytra and thorax. However, a variation can resemble Chilocorus orbus, another species of lady beetle. This form is black with two red spots on the wing covers and has white on the edge of the prothorax.
Chilocorus cacti, known generally as the cactus lady beetle or the twice-stabbed cactus lady beetle, is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is native to the Caribbean region, North America, Central America, and South America. The adults and larvae feed on scale insects and attempts have been made to use it for biological pest control.
Cryptognatha nodiceps, known generally as the coconut scale predator or sugarcane scale predator, is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae; it is found in the Caribbean region, North America, and Oceania, having been introduced to various countries in an attempt to provide biological pest control of the coconut scale.
Chilocorus nigritus, sometimes referred to as the Malaysian ladybird beetle, is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is native to SE Asia, but has been introduced for use in biological pest control in Hawaii and many parts of the world, including Europe.
Cheilomenes sexmaculata is a species of ladybird. Although sometimes known by the common name of six-spotted zigzag ladybird, this is misleading as there are several colour morphs and some colour morphs of the species can be confused with Micraspis discolor and Chilocorus nigrita. The species has a wide distribution range within the Asian tropics and subtropical zones from India to Japan and parts of the Australian region. They have been introduced into the Caribbean islands as a biocontrol agent and their spread to South America was noted in 2019. It is well known as a predator of aphids and other small insects.
UAV-IQ, an abbreviation for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Intelligence, is an agricultural technology and services company specializing in farm management services through drone operations. Founded in 2015, UAV-IQ has gained recognition for its innovative approaches to integrated pest management (IPM).
Magadi Puttarudriah was an Indian entomologist who worked in the Government of Mysore and after 1957 in the Government of Karnataka. He was the first professor of entomology at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore when it was established in 1964.
Propylea dissecta, is a species of lady beetle native to India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Scymnus (Scymnus) nubilus, is a species of lady beetle found in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, China, and Asia Minor.
Novius octoguttata is a species of lady beetle native to India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar and China.