Laricobius osakensis is a species of Derodontid beetle native to Japan. Described in 2011, it feeds exclusively on hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), an invasive insect species that is destroying huge numbers of hemlock trees in eastern North America.[2] It has shown promise as a biological control agent in field trials.[3]

Laricobius osakensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Suborder:
Infraorder:
Superfamily:
Derodontoidea
Family:
Genus:
Species:
L. osakensis
Binomial name
Laricobius osakensis
Shiyake and Montgomery, et al., 2011[1]

References edit

  1. ^ Montgomery, M. E.; Shiyake, S.; Havill, N. P.; Leschen, R. A. B. (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. doi:10.1603/AN10136.
  2. ^ Vieira, L. C.; McAvoy, T. J.; Chantos, J.; Lamb, A. B.; Salom, S. M.; Kok, L. T. (2011). "Host Range of Laricobius osakensis (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), a New Biological Control Agent of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae)". Environmental Entomology. 40 (2): 324. doi:10.1603/EN10193.
  3. ^ Lamb, A (2011). "Chapter 7: Laricobius osakensis, a Hemlock Woolly Adelgid predator from Japan". In Onken, Brad; Reardon, Richard (eds.). Implementation and Status of Biological Control of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. pp. 90–96.