Kingdom Animalia Suborder Polyphaga Superfamily Derodontoidea Phylum Arthropoda Order Beetle | Class Insecta Infraorder Bostrichiformia Family Derodontidae Rank Genus | |
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Similar Derodontidae, Beetle, Hemlock woolly ad, Adelges, Adelgidae | ||
Laricobius is a genus of beetles in the family Derodontidae, the tooth-necked fungus beetles.
It is one of four genera in the family. While the other three feed on fungi, Laricobius species feed on adelgids, tiny insects very similar to aphids. Some adelgids are destructive forest pests, and Laricobius beetles have been employed as agents of biological pest control to prey on them and reduce their populations. An example is Laricobius nigrinus, which is released in forests to control the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae).
As of 2014, there are about 23 species in the genus. Species include:
Feeding laricobius larvae white with black stripes and hwa crawler orange
References
Laricobius Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA