Rhyzobius lophantae (Blaisdell 1892)

Gonzalez, Guillermo, Cotoras, Darko D. & Grez, Audrey A., 2020, Annotated list of island lady beetles from Chile (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Zootaxa 4852 (5), pp. 501-526 : 510

Rhyzobius lophantae (Blaisdell 1892) ( Fig 4m ).

Examined material: 9 exx. “ Chile, Isla de Pascua, Hanga Roa, 27°09′24.6″ S 109°26′08.0″ W, 21-IV-2006, leg. J. Mondaca E.” ( MNHN); 4 exx. same data, except by the dates “ 16-VI-2006 ” y “ 18-IV-2006 ” ( MNHN) .

Original reference: Desender & Baert (1996): “ Lindorus lophanthae Blaisdell , Easter Island, [Nr.59], 40m, 30 November–20 December 1996, Residential Gomero, culture zone, garden with open grassland (60% cover)”.

Comments: An Australian species (Tomaszewska 2010) used for biological control, introduced with this purpose in Argentina, Uruguay, Perú and Chile. In mainland Chile it is established between Arica and Talca (González 2006). Here, it was introduced in 1931 and 1944 to control Planococcus citri ( Zúñiga 1985) , because it is a predator of Pseudococcidae . Currently, it is mass reared for the purpose of biological control.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Island Coccinellidae from Chile, Coccinellini part II and Coccidulini. a: Hippodamia convergens; b: H. variegata; c: Olla v-nigrum; d: Cranoryssus variegatus; e: Paracranoryssus chilianus; f: Orynipus chilensis; g: O. darwini; h: O. kuscheli; i: O. ultimensis; j: Eupaleoides Chiloénsis; k: Nothocolus sicardi; l: Nothocolus sp.; m: Rhyzobius lophantae; n: Rhyzobius sp.; o: Stenadalia nigrodorsata.