The beetle feeds on mealybugs and other scale insects, and is used to control those pests on citrus orchards worldwide.

Étienne Mulsant described C. montrouzieri, naming the new species after a Marist brother and missionary, Abbe Montrouzier, who wrote an "Insect Fauna of Woodlark Island".

They show a waxy covering that makes them apparently look like the mealybugs they prey on,[6] a case of aggressive mimicry.

[6] As biological control agent outside Australia, C. montrouzieri has the common name Mealy bug destroyer.

[5][7] C. montrouzieri predates on mealybug and soft scale insect parasites of Araucaria cunninghamii, and can be easily handled without dying or becoming inactive, making it a good biocontrol for use in plantations.