The genus Harmonia (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) in the Middle East region
The harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas, 1773), is native to Asia but
has been introduced to many countries, both intentionally and unintentionally. In the Middle
East region, H. axyridis was so far only known from Iran and Turkey. This study reports H.
axyridis for the fi rst time from a country with a hot desert climate, Saudi Arabia. The single
specimen that was found is most likely the result of unintentional release. Successful spreading
of H. axyridis in Saudi Arabia will be limited because of high temperatures during summer
and scarcity of prey (aphids). New records from Iran and Turkey suggest fast spreading of
H. axyridis in these parts of the Middle East. In addition, we also present new records from
Iran and Turkey for H. quadripunctata (Pontoppidan, 1763), the other species in the genus
that occurs in the Middle East region. A key and illustrations are provided for both species.
Pheromone traps play a crucial role in the integrated pest management of the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).
The members of Coccinellidae are among the most important biological control agents being used throughout the world. The objective of this study was to provide the current scenario of this family…
This study was conducted as a part of a comprehensive baseline survey of insect biodiversity of Rawdhat
Khorim National Park (RKNP), Central Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). During this study…