Halmus chalybeus
Halmus chalybeus | |
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On an oak leaf | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Family: | Coccinellidae |
Subfamily: | Chilocorinae |
Tribe: | Chilocorini |
Genus: | Halmus |
Species: | H. chalybeus |
Binomial name | |
Halmus chalybeus (Boisduval, 1835) [1] | |
Halmus chalybeus, commonly known as the steelblue ladybird, is a species of ladybird (the beetle family Coccinellidae). It has a rounded appearance with an iridescent blue/green colouration and is a predator of other insects. It was introduced to New Zealand from Australia in 1899 and 1905 to control black scale and blue gum scale (see scale insect) on citrus trees,[2] where it is now common in northern regions. It has also been recorded eating San Jose scale. They are about 3-4 mm long.[2]
![](../I/m/H-chalybeus_eating_monarch_egg.jpg)
Eating the egg of a monarch butterfly
See also
- Harmonia conformis, the large spotted ladybird
- Illeis galbula, the Fungus-eating ladybird
- Two-spotted lady beetle
References
- ↑ "Halmus chalybeus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Crowe, A. (2002). Which New Zealand Insect?. Auckland, N.Z.: Penguin. p. 47. ISBN 0-14-100636-6.
Further reading
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Halmus chalybeus. |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Halmus chalybeus |
- Flynn, Alan Richard. 1995. "Aspects of the biology of the steel blue ladybird Halmus chalybeus (Boisduval) (Coleoptera : Coccinellida)". Thesis (MSc–Zoology (Biological Sciences)) University of Auckland. 105 leaves with illustrations.
- Lo, P. L. (December 2000) Species and abundance of ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on citrus orchards in Northland, New Zealand, and a comparison of visual and manual methods of assessment. New Zealand Entomologist 23: 61–65