:Rhizobius'' is a genus in the

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

kingdom (see

Disease resistance in fruit and vegetables There are a number of lines of defence against pests (that, those animals that cause damage to the plants we grow) and diseases in the orchard, principal among these being the practice of good husbandry, creating healthy soil and ensuring high st ...

), as well as an obsolete name for the aphid genus ''

Pemphigus Pemphigus ( or ) is a rare group of blistering autoimmune diseases that affect the skin and mucous membranes. The name is derived from the Greek root ''pemphix'', meaning "pustule". In pemphigus, autoantibodies form against desmoglein, whi ...

. ''Rhyzobius'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

in the

lady beetle Coccinellidae () is a widespread family of small beetles ranging in size from . They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in Great Britain. Some entomologists prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as they ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

(Coccinellidae). It belongs to

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

Coccidulini of

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Coccidulinae The Coccidulinae are a subfamily of lady beetles in the family Coccinellidae. Species:Coccidulinae Recent molecular analyses suggest that Coccidulinae is not a monophyletic group (e.g., the tribe Noviini may belong instead with Epilachninae ...

, which is sometimes subsumed in the

Coccinellinae Coccinellinae is a subfamily of lady beetles in the family Coccinellidae. There are at least 20 genera and 90 described species in Coccinellinae. Genera These 29 genera belong to the subfamily Coccinellinae: * '' Adalia'' Mulsant, 1846 * '' Aio ...

as a tribe with the Coccidulini downranked to subtribe. The genus was established by J.F. Stephens in 1832. Often misspelled as ''"Rhizobius"'', that is actually an older name, now suppressed, for a genus of

wooly aphid Woolly aphids (subfamily: Eriosomatinae) are sap-sucking insects that produce a filamentous waxy white covering which resembles cotton or wool. The adults are winged and move to new locations where they lay egg masses. The nymphs often form la ...

s. The misspelling was first made in the original description in 1832; however, Stephens had used the name in 1829 already (as ''

nomen nudum In taxonomy, a ''nomen nudum'' ('naked name'; plural ''nomina nuda'') is a designation which looks exactly like a scientific name of an organism, and may have originally been intended to be one, but it has not been published with an adequate descr ...

'') and written it "Rhyzobius", so this spelling is used now.

Louis Agassiz Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Spending his early life in Switzerland, he rec ...

in 1846 argued that Stephens intended to write "Rhizobius" all along and formally proposed to change the name thus, but this is considered unwarranted.

Species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of ''Rhyzobius'' can be found almost anywhere on Earth. ''

Rhyzobius lophanthae ''Rhyzobius lophanthae'', commonly known as the purple scale predator or the scale-eating ladybird, is a species of ladybird native to Queensland and Southern Australia. It was introduced into the United States in the 1890s and has since spread ...

'' is used for

biological pest control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, namely

scale insect Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than the ...

s (Coccoidea).

Species

106 species are recognised in the most recent worldwide revision, including:Tomaszewska, W. 2010: ''Rhyzobius'' Stephens, 1829 (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), a revision of the world species. ''Fauna mundi'', 2 ISSN 2081-4615 * ''

Rhyzobius bassus :Rhizobius'' is a genus in the fungi kingdom (see Disease resistance in fruit and vegetables), as well as an obsolete name for the aphid genus ''Pemphigus. ''Rhyzobius'' is a genus in the lady beetle family (Coccinellidae). It belongs to tribe C ...

'' Normand, 1938^g * ''

Rhyzobius bielawskii :Rhizobius'' is a genus in the fungi kingdom (see Disease resistance in fruit and vegetables), as well as an obsolete name for the aphid genus ''Pemphigus. ''Rhyzobius'' is a genus in the lady beetle family (Coccinellidae). It belongs to tribe C ...

'' Tomaszewska, 2010^g * ''

Rhyzobius bipartitus :Rhizobius'' is a genus in the fungi kingdom (see Disease resistance in fruit and vegetables), as well as an obsolete name for the aphid genus ''Pemphigus. ''Rhyzobius'' is a genus in the lady beetle family (Coccinellidae). It belongs to tribe C ...

'' Fuente, 1918^g * ''

Rhyzobius chrysomeloides ''Rhyzobius chrysomeloides'' is a species of beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most ot ...

'' (Herbst, 1792)^g * ''

Rhyzobius fagus :Rhizobius'' is a genus in the fungi kingdom (see Disease resistance in fruit and vegetables), as well as an obsolete name for the aphid genus ''Pemphigus. ''Rhyzobius'' is a genus in the lady beetle family (Coccinellidae). It belongs to tribe C ...

'' (Broun, 1880)^g * ''

Rhyzobius forestieri ''Rhyzobius forestieri'' is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is found in Australia, North America, Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesi ...

'' (Mulsant, 1853)^{i c g b} * ''

Rhyzobius litura ''Rhyzobius litura'' is a species of beetle in family Coccinellidae. It is found in the Palearctic It is mainly found in Western Europe, especially in the United Kingdom In the southeast, the area spreads to Bulgaria and Greece.Fauna Europae ...

'' (Fabricius, 1787)^g * ''

'' (Blaisdell, 1892)^{i c g b} (purple scale predator) * ''

Rhyzobius nigripennis :Rhizobius'' is a genus in the fungi kingdom (see Disease resistance in fruit and vegetables), as well as an obsolete name for the aphid genus ''Pemphigus. ''Rhyzobius'' is a genus in the lady beetle family (Coccinellidae). It belongs to tribe C ...

'' Fauvel, 1903^g * ''

Rhyzobius oculatissimus :Rhizobius'' is a genus in the fungi kingdom (see Disease resistance in fruit and vegetables), as well as an obsolete name for the aphid genus ''Pemphigus. ''Rhyzobius'' is a genus in the lady beetle family (Coccinellidae). It belongs to tribe C ...

'' Wollaston, 1857^g * ''

Rhyzobius pulchellus :Rhizobius'' is a genus in the fungi kingdom (see Disease resistance in fruit and vegetables), as well as an obsolete name for the aphid genus ''Pemphigus (aphid), Pemphigus. ''Rhyzobius'' is a genus in the lady beetle family (biology), family (C ...

'' (Montrouzier, 1861)^g * '' Rhyzobius ventralis'' (Erichson, 1842)^{i c g} * '' Rhyzobius wanati'' Tomaszewska, 2010^g Data sources: i = ITIS, c = Catalogue of Life, g = GBIF, b = Bugguide.net

Footnotes

References

* (2002): Prospects for extending the use of Australian lacewings in biological control. '' Acta Zool. Acad. Sci. Hung.'' 48(Supplement 2): 209–216
PDF fulltext
* (2007): New species of ''Epipleuria'' Fürsch and ''Rhyzobius'' Stephens from southern Africa (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccidulini). ''Annals of the Transvaal Museum'' 44: 11-24

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1382307 Coccinellidae genera Taxa named by James Francis Stephens