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Project Noah Nature School
Cryotolaemus montrouzieri
This tiny bug was about 1 cm long and 0.5 cm wide. It was white colored and looked fluffy. Little white appendages were sticking up on them. It was moving around a lot, but at a slow pace. Mealybug Destroyers look like this, because they want to disguise themselves as bird droppings.
This Mealybug Destroyer was living in Singapore American School's rainforest, which is a secondary rainforest. The climate there was partially shady and it was crawling on a leaf of a plant. I spotted it at 2:49 PM.
These bugs are called Mealybug Destroyers, because they consume many mealybugs, such as the Citrus Mealybug. Mealybugs eat many greenhouse plants, so Mealybug Destroyers are considered beneficial, as they are the ones who eat them..
Spotted on Mar 15, 2013
Submitted on Mar 15, 2013
2 Comments
Looks more like a planthopper nymph. Not a mealybug destroyer. Mealybug destroyers do not have long white and fluffy 'appendages'. The one pictured here is more likely to be a Flatid planthopper nymph (species from family Flatidae).
Great Picture!