''Cryptolaemus montrouzieri'', common name mealybug ladybird or mealybug destroyer, is a ladybird species.

Etymology

Étienne Mulsant Martial Étienne Mulsant (2 March 1797, Marnand, Rhône – 4 November 1880) was a French entomologist and ornithologist. Biography Initially employed in commerce, Mulsant wrote ''Lettres à Julie sur l'entomologie, suivies d'une description mé ...

described ''C. montrouzieri'', naming the new species after a Marist brother and

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

, Abbe Montrouzier, who wrote an "Insect Fauna of Woodlark Island".

Distribution

''Cryptolaemus montrouzieri'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It is now also present in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

and as far as Northern

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

), in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, in the Afrotropical realm, in the Nearctic realm, and in the

Neotropical realm The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biogeo ...

Description

Coccinellidae - Cryptolaemus montrouzieri-001

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri larva InsectImages 5195077 cropped

''Cryptolaemus montrouzieri'' can reach a length of about . 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. Larvae can reach a length of . They show a waxy covering that makes them apparently look like the mealybugs they prey on, a case of

aggressive mimicry Aggressive mimicry is a form of mimicry in which predators, parasites, or parasitoids share similar signals, using a harmless model, allowing them to avoid being correctly identified by their prey or host. Zoologists have repeatedly compare ...

Biology

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 three larval stages and a pupal stage. The life span is two months.Mary Louise Flint, Steve H
Natural Enemies Handbook: The Illustrated Guide to Biological Pest Control
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Biological control agent

This species has been used as a biological control agent against mealybugs and other scale insects. It was introduced to

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. In

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

it was introduced in 1891 by Albert Koebele to control the

citrus mealybug ''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 ...

. It has also been introduced to New Zealand for biocontrol. As biological control agent outside Australia, ''C. montrouzieri'' has the common name ''Mealy bug destroyer''. ''C. montrouzieri'' predates on mealybug and soft scale insect parasites of ''

Araucaria cunninghamii ''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 a ...

'', and can be easily handled without dying or becoming inactive, making it a good biocontrol for use in plantations. Although they are less interested in other trees - by many multiples - they do hunt the same pests in

custard apple Custard apple is a common name for a fruit and for the tree that bears it, '' Annona reticulata.'' The tree’s fruits vary in shape; they may be heart-shaped, spherical, oblong or irregular. Their size ranges from 7 to 12 cm (2.8 to 4.7 ...

and

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

plantations.

General and cited references

* Chako, M.K., P. Bhatt, L.V. Rao, A. Deepak Singh, M.B.E.P. Ramnarayana and K. Sreedharan, 1978. "The use of the lady bird beetle (''Cryptolaemus montrouzieri'' Mulsant) for the control of coffee mealybug". 'Journal of Coffee Research'' 8: 14–19 * Crowe, A. ''Which New Zealand Insect?''. Auckland, N.Z.: Penguin Books, 2002. p. 47 * Gordon, Robert D. (1985). "The Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) of America North of Mexico", ''Journal of the New York Entomological Society'', vol. 93, no. 1 * Korschefsky, R. / Schenkling, S., ed. (1931) Coccinellidae I, Coleopterorum Catalogus, Pars 118 * Mineo, G., 1967. "''Cryptolaemus montrouzieri'', Observations on morphology and bionomics". ''Bulletin of the Institute of Entomology and Agriculture'' 6: 99–143. * Murthy, M.S., 1982. ''Studies on the biology and habits of ''Cryptolaemus montrouzieri'' Mulsant (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera)''. M.Sc. (Agriculture) Thesis, Andra Pradesh Agricultural University, Hyderabad, India. * Ramesh, T., BabuK. M. Azam. "Biology of ''Cryptolaemus montrouzieri'' Mulsant occinellidae: Coleopterain relation with temperature". ''Entomophaga'' (1987) 32: 381. * Ślipiński, A. "Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) Their biology and classification". ''Australian Biological Resources'', 2007, p. 94.

Citations

External links

Picture gallery
at www.brisbaneinsects.com—includes images of ''C. montrouzieri'' larva preying on sap-sucking bugs
Bug Guide

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2401586 Beetles described in 1850 Beetles of Australia Beetles of New Zealand Coccinellidae