Laricobius is a genus of beetles in the family Derodontidae, the tooth-necked fungus beetles.[1]
| Laricobius | |
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| Laricobius erichsoni | |
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| Genus: | Laricobius Rosenhauer, 1846
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23, see text | |
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.[2] 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).[3]
As of 2014, there are about 23 species in the genus. Species include:[4]
- Laricobius baoxingensis
- Laricobius bicolor
- Laricobius caucasicus
- Laricobius daliensis
- Laricobius danielae
- Laricobius erichsonii
- Laricobius incognitus
- Laricobius jizu
- Laricobius kangdingensis
- Laricobius kovalevi
- Laricobius ludmilae
- Laricobius laticollis
- Laricobius loebli
- Laricobius minutus
- Laricobius mirabilis
- Laricobius naganoensis
- Laricobius nigrinus
- Laricobius osakensis
- Laricobius rubidus
- Laricobius sahlbergi
- Laricobius schawalleri
- Laricobius taiwanensis
- Laricobius wittmeri
References
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- ^ Laricobius. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
- ^ Montgomery, M. E., et al. (2011). A new species of Laricobius (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) from Japan with phylogeny and a key for native and introduced congeners in North America. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 104(3) 389-401.
- ^ Zilahi-Balogh, G. M. G., et al. A predator case history: Laricobius nigrinus, a derodontid beetle introduced against the hemlock woolly adelgid. In: Second International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods, Davos, Switzerland. 12–16 September 2005. 651-64.
- ^ Háva, J. (2006). World catalogue of the family Derodontidae (Coleoptera). Archived 2014-07-21 at the Wayback Machine Pol Pismo Entomol 75 29-38. Updated 2014 Version.