Menochilus sexmaculatus (FABRICIUS 1781)

Fallahzadeh, M., Abdimaleki, R. & Saghaei, N., 2013, Contribution to the Knowledge of the Ladybird beetles (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae), Predators of Mealybugs (Hemiptera, Pseudococcidae) in Hormozgan Province, Southern Iran, Linzer biologische Beiträge 45 (1), pp. 673-679 : 676-677

Menochilus sexmaculatus (FABRICIUS 1781)

M a t e r i a l 2♀♀, Minab, 30.04.2009, ex M. hirsutus on Abutilon fruticosum GUILL & PERR. (Malvaceae) ; 1♀, 733, Bandar-e-Abbas, 30.11.2009, ex P. solenopsis on Sesamum orientale L. ( Pedaliaceae ); 1♀, Bandar-e-Abbas, 14.06.2010, ex P. solenopsis on Lantana camara L ( Verbenaceae ); 533, Minab, 18.09.2010, ex P. solenopsis on Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. ( Malvaceae ); 5♀♀, 933, Rodan, 19.04.2010, ex P. solenopsis on Solanum nigrum L. ( Solanaceae ); 433, Bandar-e-Abbas, 14.10.2010, ex M. hirsutus on Ricinus communis L. ( Euphorbiaceae ).

R e m a r k s: It has been recorded as a predator of the mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis (TINSLEY) ( ZHOU et al. 2012) .

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Japan, China, Formosa, India, Philippines, Ceylon, Malaysia, New Guinea, Micronesia, Indonesia, Timor and UAE ( RAIMUNDO et al. 2008).

Members of the family Coccinellidae are questionably one of the most useful groups in biological control, whereas several species of them are used in biological control programs of scale insect species ( MAJERUS 1994), particularly on the mealybugs (BEN- DOV et al. 2012). In our survey, each species was directly observed feeding on eggs, nymphs, and adults of mentioned mealybug species. The Nephus (Sidis) hieckei riyadhensis FÜRSCH 1979 is new record for Iran. More work is needed to document the effectiveness of the native lady beetles, found throughout the world’s regions, as mealybug predators.