Black Mealybug Predator

Exochomus flavipes

A member of the ladybird family, the Black mealy bug predator feeds on aphids, soft scales, mealy bugs and cochineal insects
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Appearance

Small (4mm), very round, shiny, black with pale yellow patch on each side of the pronotum.
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Naming

Thunberg 1781

Distribution

Throughout South Africa

Habitat

Plant stems and foliage, often on Prickly pears infested with cochineal insects.

Food

Aphids, mealy bugs, soft scales and cochineal insects

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Field Guide to Insects of South Africa, Mike Picker, Charles Griffiths and Alan Weaving.
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderColeoptera
FamilyCoccinellidae
GenusExochomus
SpeciesExochomus flavipes
Photographed in
Australia
South Africa