Laricobius

Laricobius
Laricobius erichsoni
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Bostrichiformia
Superfamily:	Derodontoidea
Family:	Derodontidae
Genus:	Laricobius Rosenhauer, 1846
Species
23, see text

23, see text

Laricobius is a genus of beetles in the family Derodontidae, the tooth-necked fungus beetles.

It is one of four genera in the family. While the other three feed on fungi, Laricobius species feed on adelgids, tiny insects very similar to aphids. Some adelgids are destructive forest pests, and Laricobius beetles have been employed as agents of biological pest control to prey on them and reduce their populations. An example is Laricobius nigrinus, which is released in forests to control the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae).

As of 2014, there are about 23 species in the genus. Species include:

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