# Mealybug Destroyer

*Cryptolaemus montrouzieri*

The larvae of this beetle disguise themselves as their prey, growing long, white waxy filaments to blend in with mealybug colonies and avoid detection by protective ants.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Coleoptera › Coccinellidae › Cryptolaemus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Citrus orchards, gardens, greenhouses, deciduous forests, and shrublands.
- **Diet:** Mealybugs, scale insects, and occasionally aphids.
- **Range:** Australia (native), North America (introduced), Europe (introduced), Asia (introduced)
- **Size:** Adults: 3-4 mm; Larvae: up to 10 mm
- **Lifespan:** 50 to 70 days
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Broad-spectrum chemical pesticides, extreme winter cold, and loss of agricultural biodiversity.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and highly beneficial. If encountered in a garden or greenhouse, do not disturb them as they are active pest controllers. They do not bite or sting humans, though they may secrete a harmless, bitter yellow fluid if handled roughly.

## About

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri , common name Mealybug Ladybird or Mealybug Destroyer , is ladybird species .

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/a650d44b-8b8c-4843-b5bb-3cac5e6bc2f8
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/244084
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/4854874/medium.jpg (no rights reserved, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.