Rhyzobius fagus (Broun)

Nattier, Romain, Jourdan, Hervé, Mille, Christian & Chazeau, Jean, 2015, An annotated checklist of the Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) from New Caledonia, Zootaxa 4058 (3), pp. 301-331 : 311

Rhyzobius fagus (Broun)

Scymnus fagus Broun, 1880: 648 .

Rhizobius satelles Blackburn, 1892: 255 —synonymized by Tomaszewska 2010: 109. Rhizobius kingensis Lea, 1908: 206 —synonymized by Tomaszewska 2010: 109. Rhizobius erythrogaster Lea, 1929: 241 —synonymized by Tomaszewska 2010: 109. Rhyzobius nigrovatus Bielawski, 1973: 391 —synonymized by Tomaszewska, 2010: 109.

Some misidentifications of this species have led to false records in the literature from New Caledonia ( Huffaker & Messenger 1976): Lindorus lophanthae (Blaisdell) and Rhyzobius pulchellus (Montrouzier) . Bielawski (1973) made a new description under Rhyzobius nigrovatus (type locality: Nouméa). Tomaszewska (2010) redescribed this species and gave an account of its geographic range. This Australian species appears to have recently spread to New Caledonia and Vanuatu, where it is now quite common. In Vanuatu, it has been heavily used and promoted against the coconut scale Aspidiotus destructor Signoret ( Hemiptera : Diaspididae ) between 1960 and 1980 ( Chazeau 1981b). This efficient diaspidid feeder was also deliberately introduced to the Caroline Islands ( Nafus & Schreiner 1989) and Wallis Island in 1965. It has been seen established in Wallis in 1981 ( Gutierrez 1981), and also in South Africa (before 1988). Apart from Aspidiotus destructor Signoret , it has been seen to feed on Aspidiotus nerii Bouché , Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead , Pseudaulacaspis pentagona (Targioni-Tozzetti) , Lepidosaphes beckii (Newman) ( Cochereau 1965, 1969).

Literature records. NEW CALEDONIA: Nouméa (A. Fauvel rec.) (ISNB); Nouméa, 0-100m, ii.1980 (N.H.L. Krauss rec.) (BPBM); Nouméa, 0-100m, 3.iii.1980 (N.H.L. Krauss rec.) (BPBM); Hills behind Nouméa, 15.viii.1940 (F.X. Williams rec.) (BPBM); Nouméa, 26.vii.1940 (F.X. Williams rec.) (BPBM); Nouméa, 24.vii.1940 (F.X. Williams rec.) (BPBM); Nouméa, 13.viii.1940 (F.X. Williams rec.) (BPBM); In Mts. above Ouaco, 20.x.1958 (C.R. Joyce rec.) (BPBM); Koebele (BPBM); La Crouen, 16.iii.1961 (J. Sedlacek rec.) (BPBM); Poindimié, 26.xi.1958 (C.R. Joyce rec.) (BPBM); Mt Mou, 1100 m, 9.iii.1972 (J.L. Gressit rec.) (BPBM); Mokoue to Dothio, 150-500 m, 20-22.iii.1968 (T.C. Maa rec.) (BPBM) ( Tomaszewska 2010).