Cybocephalus spp.

Coleoptera: Cucujoidea: Nitidulidae: Cybocephalinae

The subfamily Cybocephalinae is considered as a separate family, Cybocephalidae, by some authors.

The adults are very characteristic in their appearance - strongly convex on the dorsal side, with a dumpy, hump-backed body, which is very clear in lateral view. Females are usually fully black and the males have yellowish head and pronotum with black elytra. The antenna have a prominent, three-segmented club.

The larvae are outwardly similar to coccinellid larvae and commonly found in association with diaspine scales, and less frequently with whiteflies.

   Larva of Cybocephalus sp.
   Larvae feeding on whiteflies and indeterminate scales
     Adult female
   Adult male

Cosmopolitan.

The members of the genus Cybocephalus Erichson are predacious on diaspine scales and a few are also associated with whiteflies and rarely feed on mites. They are considered very important as scale predators as the larvae are capable of going under the shields of the scales for feeding.