Minute ladybird beetles belonging to the subfamily Scymninae are predators and have a very close association with sternorrhynchans such as: mealybugs, aphids, psyllids, whiteflies and scale insects because they live in or within their colonies. The larval forms of these beetles, on the other hand, have the ability to mimic their prey, which makes it easier for them to penetrate the colonies without being recognized and regulate pest populations. Nevertheless, people often mistake these ladybird larvae for pests and eventually killing them by the use of pesticides. Elimination of natural enemies, therefore, results in increased pest problems or sometimes pest outbreaks. To manage pest outbreaks, the use of alternative management such as the use of natural enemies is suggested. These minute predatory ladybird beetles play a very significant role in integrated pest management as potential biological control agents. Their ability to reduce pest population largely contributes to decrease in pesticide use and increase yield of vegetable crops. However, as a potential biological control agent, the subfamily Scymninae has been rarely studied in the Philippines. There are only very few species recorded in the Philippines used for this purpose. The life history and functional response of Acarinus philippinensis Kapur (tribe Aspidimerini) to Aphis gossypii Glover reared on Capsicum sp. was studied by Lapiz in 1994. On the other hand, Garcia and Calilung studied the biology of Scymnus (Pullus) trukensis Chapin (subfamily Scymninae, tribe Scymnini) under the tribe Scymnini in 1996. . The latter predator was fed with Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel, one of the major pests of banana in the Philippines. Cendaña (1953) successfully reared the imported beetle Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant, in the laboratory which was used to control the Florida red scale, Chrysomphalus ficus Ashmead, a pest of coconut in Cebu which became worst in 1956. Records also show that C. montrouzieri was reported to feed on the mealybug, Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell), and a pest of citrus in the Philippines (Booth and Pope, 1986). Despite their importance, the group has been relatively neglected. The diversity of these predators within the colony is not yet known. Since limited information has been published on Philippine species, a comprehensive taxonomic and systematic study of the group is necessary to assess the richness and diversity, distribution and their involvement with sternorrhynchans colonies. Currently, among 10 tribes reported to be placed under the subfamily Scymninae, there are only four (4) tribes recorded in the Philippines: Aspidimerini, Ortaliini, Scymnini and Stethorini, which consists of 7 genera and 12 species. These generic records are only 12% in comparison with the other 58 genera, which remains to be discovered. With these meager information and studies regarding this very important group, there is a great need to discover the other species, which may later help, reduce pest populations. Moreover, knowledge on the conservation of the predatory beetles could be administered. This could aid the clientele for long term control with the presence of the predatory beetles. The project hopes to provide comprehensive information and collection of Philippine Scymninae with their corresponding Sternorrhynchan prey and host plants. Moreover, provide ample information regarding these beneficial organisms through extension materials such as posters, pamphlets, handbooks or field guide on their potential value as biological control agents. A reference collection will be established at the museum to provide assistance to researchers, students, the public and other interested individuals
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