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Species Cryptolaemus montrouzieri - Mealybug Destroyer

mealybug destroyer - Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mealybug Destroyer - Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mealybug Destroyer? - Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mealybug Destroyer - Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Cryptolaemus montrouzieri - raiding the farm. - Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mealy Bug Destroyer - Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Pupa - Cryptolaemus montrouzieri ;>) - Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)
Superfamily Cucujoidea (Flower, Flat Bark and Ladybird Beetles)
Family Coccinellidae (Lady Beetles)
Subfamily Scymninae
Tribe Scymnini
Genus Cryptolaemus
Species montrouzieri (Mealybug Destroyer)
Numbers
One sp. (1)
Size
Adult 3 - 4 mm
Larvae to 13 mm (Cornell)
Identification
Larva is covered with medium to long waxy curls.
Adult beetle is dark brown to black with orange/tan head and tail, and dark legs (similar colored Scymnus sp have yellow legs(2)).
Range
Established in IN, MO, FL, CA (1)
Food
Both adults and larvae feed on mealybugs, and are regularly purchased for pest control as beneficial insects.
Life Cycle
Yellow eggs laid among mealybugs hatch to larvae which eventually pupate and emerge as adult beetles.
Remarks
Imported to the US from Australia in 1891 to control citrus mealybugs in California. Widely used for control of citrus and long-tailed mealybugs, soft scales and related pests. Will not survive cold winters, so it is mostly used in greenhouses or mild-winter areas, or has to be introduced annually.
See Also
Scymnus sp. - smaller (under 2.5mm), and always with yellow legs vice black.(2)
Internet References