Two new species of Encarsia Förster (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) are described from China, Encarsia floralis Wang, Huang & Polaszek, sp. nov. and Encarsia maculiformis Wang, Huang & Polaszek, sp. nov., and the male of Encarsia plana Viggiani & Ren (1987) is newly described.

Previously, analysis of 16S rDNA sequences placed a newly discovered lineage of bacterial symbionts of arthropods in the 'Bacteroidetes'. This symbiont lineage is associated with a number of diverse host reproductive manipulations, including induction of parthenogenesis in several Encarsia parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). In this study, electron microscopy and phylogenetic analysis ...

We genetically characterized Encarsia diapsidicola Silvestri and Encarsia berlesei Howard (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) by two molecular methods: phylogenetic analysis of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (COI) and intersimple sequence repeat-polymerase chain reaction (ISSR-PCR) DNA fingerprinting. These two closely related endoparasitoids are candidate biological control agents for the white ...

The symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis has been considered unique in its ability to cause multiple reproductive anomalies in its arthropod hosts. Here we report that an undescribed bacterium is vertically transmitted and associated with thelytokous parthenogenetic reproduction in Encarsia, a genus of parasitoid wasps. Although Wolbachia was found in only one of seven parthenogenetic Encars...

Four new species of Encarsia Förster (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) from Mexico are described--E. albata Myartseva sp. n. (State of Nuevo León), E. barracas Myartseva sp. n. (State of Baja California Sur), E. chichenitza Myartseva sp. n. (State of Yucatán) and E. elenae Myartseva sp. n. (State of Tamaulipas). A key to the species of Encarsia in Mexico published in 2012 is modified to include the ne...

The genus Encarsia Förster includes parasitoid species that are effective natural enemies of whitefly and armoured scale insect agricultural pests. Within this genus, several species groups have been recognized on the basis of morphological similarity, although their monophyly appears uncertain. It is often difficult to separate morphologically similar species, and there is evidence that some s...

Market pressure is forcing New Zealand greenhouse tomato growers to shift from conventional to more environmentally-friendly pest control methods such as IPM (Integrated Pest Management). Growers can access IPM manuals, but these tend to provide generalized advice, which they find difficult to apply to their own situations. Alternatively, growers can use consultants to tailor IPM strategies to ...

Whiteflies (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) are represented by more than 1,500 herbivorous species around the world. Some of them are notorious pests of cassava (Manihot esculenta), a primary food crop in the tropics. Particularly destructive is a complex of Neotropical cassava whiteflies whose distribution remains restricted to their native range. Despite their importance, neither their distribution, ...