Novius is a genus of
ladybird beetles belonging to the family
Coccinellidae, and the sole member of the tribe Noviini. The genus as presently defined contains over 70 species, most of which were formerly placed in the genera Rodolia and Anovia, but after decades of debate, both of these genera are now considered to be junior synonyms of Novius.[1]
Description
Novius species have a semispherical body, covered with dense, short hairs. They are reddish-purple, with or without black spots.
Adults of Novius species feeding on females of cottony cushion scales (Icerya species)
Novius species regularly feed on
scale insects,
aphids and small
mites, which makes them candidates as biological control agents. One such species used in biocontrol is Novius cardinalis, introduced worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, and now effectively cosmopolitan. Other species have been introduced in more restricted areas (e.g.,
Micronesia), though always for the biological control of pest insects.
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abPang, Hong; Tang, Xue-Fei; Booth, Roger G.; Vandenberg, Natalia; Forrester, Juanita; McHugh, Joseph & Ślipiński, Adam (2020). "Revision of the Australian Coccinellidae (Coleoptera). Genus Novius Mulsant of tribe Noviini". Annales Zoologici. 70 (1): 1–24.
doi:
10.3161/00034541ANZ2020.70.1.001.