Curinus coeruleus
| Curinus coeruleus | ||||||||||||
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Aggregation of several specimens of Curinus coeruleus |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Curinus | ||||||||||||
| Mulsant , 1850 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Curinus coeruleus | ||||||||||||
| Mulsant, 1850 |
Curinus coeruleus is a dark blue, shiny metallic beetle from the ladybird family(Coccinellidae). Thebeetle, whichoriginally comes from the Caribbean , is the only species in the genus Curinus thatbelongsto the Chilocorini tribe within the subfamily of the Coccinellinae.
features
The beetles are noticeably characterized by their shiny, dark blue hue and two orange spots on the edge of the pronotum. Seen from above, their body shape is almost circular, the body is hemispherical.
Similar species
A very similar beetle, the black scale insect ladybird , also comes from the Chilocorini tribe. Like Curinus coeruleus, it occurs in Europe, but is not dark blue, but black. However, it also has two orange spots on the edges of the pronotum. Chilocorus stigma from the Chilocorini tribe and the slightly smaller ladybird Thalassa montezumae from the Scymnini tribe are similar in body shape to Curinus coeruleus , but are almost black and the two orange-red spots are on the elytra and not on the pronotum.
Occurrence
The species is originally from the Caribbean , but was introduced from Mexico to Hawaii in 1922 and in Florida in the 1950s for pest control .
Way of life
Curinus coeruleus remains active even at higher temperatures and then does not need a summer rest, even if the food supply is lower during this time. But its distribution area is also limited to the tropical and subtropical zones. Therefore, he could only be permanently settled in the southeast of the US state Florida.
Curinus coeruleus often forms large aggregations in the furrows of the bark of the myrtle heather ( Melaleuca quinquenervia ), which offers it protection. Both the tree and the ladybug have been introduced to Hawaii and Florida .
food
The larvae and adults of Curinus coeruleus feed mainly on plant lice . These include the leaf flea species Diaphorina citri , a pest on citrus plants , and Heteropsylla cubana , a parasite on the " wild tamarind " from the legume family , which is grown as a fodder plant, and on the rain tree , which provides wood and shade in tropical regions and subtropical areas.
Originally, Curinus coeruleus was used to control the mealybug Nipaecoccus nipae , which can occur in large numbers on coconut palms , date palms and sago palm ferns as well as on bananas . It was found that this ladybird kills not only plant lice, but also other pests such as the fringed winged thrips palmi , which infects a number of vegetable plants, especially those from the cucurbit and nightshade families .
In 2005 it was observed in Hawaii that the larvae of Curinus coeruleus can also eat large quantities of the eggs of the Asian tiger mosquito . A larva eats more than 100 eggs in three days if there is enough supply and thereby decimates the populations of this mosquito species , which is known to be the carrier of dengue fever and other diseases.
Individual evidence
- ↑ JP Michaud, CW McCoy and SH Futch: Ladybeetles as Biological Control Agents in Citrus. IFAS, Extension HS-873, University of Florida, 2002 Online ( Memento of the original from September 7, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 610 kB)
- ↑ JL Capinera: Melon Thrips, Thrips palmi Karny (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). IFAS, Extension EENY135, University of Florida, 2004 Online (PDF, English; 986 kB)
- ↑ Pinjun Yang: Laboratory study of predation by Curinus coeruleus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on eggs of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) . Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society, 38, pp. 127-129, 2006
Web links
- Image and description (English).