Halmus chalybeus

Halmus chalybeus
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]

Eating the egg of a monarch butterfly

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Halmus chalybeus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  2. 1 2 Crowe, A. (2002). Which New Zealand Insect?. Auckland, N.Z.: Penguin. p. 47. ISBN 0-14-100636-6.

Further reading

  • 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


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