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Ants have stripped this Mealybug of its protective coating, revealing the brightly-coloured animal beneath.
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Mealybug
Conservation status: Least Concern
These bugs are usually covered with a white protective waxy powder coating, thus their common name "Mealy" Bug.
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Scientific Classification
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Hemiptera
Pseudococcidae
Monophlebulus
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Mealybugs are known to feed on the sap of Eucalyptus and Callistemon species, but they also feed on other plants and some species are considered to be serious agricultural pests.
There are about 200 species of Mealybug in Australia. Species of this particular genus have also been found in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South and Western Australia.
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