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Further vernacular names:

Mealybug Destroyer

Classification:

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri belongs to the subfamily Coccidulinae, tribe Coccidulini.

Distribution:

Originally based in Australia, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri is used for the biological control of mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) in many countries.

Habitat:

Citrus orchards, greenhouses, winter gardens.

Description:

The finely hairy 3.4 - 4.6 mm long Mealybug Ladybird has a short oval shape. Head and pronotum are orange. The black elytra have orange tips. Males and females can be distinguished by variable coloring of the front legs. These are usually yellow-brown in the males with a darkened outer edge of the tibiae and in the females generally much darker to completely black.
The larvae grow up to 13 mm long. They disguise themselves with a white, waxy secretion and look very "shaggy".

Biology:

After mating, the females of the Mealybug Ladybird begin to lay their eggs, preferably in the colonies of mealybugs (Pseudococcidae). Both larvae and adult beetles feed on eggs, larvae and adult mealybugs. Besides mealybugs, soft scale insects (Coccidae) and armored scale insects (Diaspididae) are also eaten. Also conspecifics can enrich the larvae' diet. Cryptolaemus montrouzieri is a thermophilic species. With sufficient food supply and a temperature of 30°C, the development from egg to adult beetle takes about 25 days, at 18°C almost three times as long.

References, further reading, links:

1. Moses T.K. Kairol, Oulimathe Paraiso, Ram Das Gautam and Dorothy D. Peterkin: Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Mulsant) (Coccinellidae: Scymninae): a review of biology, ecology, and use in biological control with particular reference to potential impact on non-target organisms, CAB Reviews 2013 8, No. 005, doi: 10.1079/PAVSNNR20138005.