 Fig 1. Encarsia - dorsal view |
 Fig 2. Encarsia boswelli |
 Fig 3. Encarsia - lateral view |
 Fig 4. Encarsia - thorax |
 Fig 5. E. boswelli - female antenna |
 Fig 6. E. boswelli - male antenna |
 Fig 7. E. boswelli - female forewing |
 Fig 8. E. boswelli - male forewing |
 Fig 9. Encarsia - mesosoma |
Nomenclature
Encarsia Foerster, 1878: 65. Type species: Encarsia tricolor Foerster, by monotypy.
Aspidiodiphagus Howard, 1894a: 229. Synonymized by Viggiani & Mazzone, 1979: 44.
Prospalta Howard, 1894b: 6. Preoccupied by Prospalta Walker, 1857 (in Lepidoptera) designated by ICZN opinion 845.
Prospaltella Ashmead, 1904: 126. Replacement name for Prospalta Howard. Synonymized by Viggiani & Mazzone, 1979: 44.
Mimatomus Cockerell, 1911: 464. As synonym of Prospaltella by Girault, 1917: 114.
Doloresia Mercet, 1912: 294. Synonymized by Mercet, 1930a : 191.
Prospaltoides Brethes, 1914: 12. As synonym of Aspidiotiphagus by Brethes, 1916: 429.
Aleurodiphilus De Bach & Rose, 1981: 659. Synonymized by Hayat, 1983: 85.
Diagnosis
- Female with always 8-segmented, club when present 2- or 3-segmented. Male antenna 8- or 7-segmented
- Mesoscutum with fewer than 20 setae, symmetrically arranged; axillae small, each axilla with one seta
- Scutellum shaped more or less like a biconvex lens with a distinct central longitudinal area
- Tarsal formula 5-4-5 or 5-5-5, i.e., tarsi of middle leg 4- or 5-segmented
- Fore wing with elongate marginal vein, submarginal vein having 1-2 setae, costal cell distinctly shorter than marginal vein, parastigma short
- Propodeum medially membranous
- Hypopygium in female not prominent, usually not extending to apex of gaster
Species in India
1. Encarsia acaudaleyrodis Hayat
2. Encarsia albiscutellum (Girault)
3. Encarsia aseta Hayat & Polaszek
4. Encarsia asfar Hayat
5. Encarsia assamensis Hayat
6. Encarsia aurantii (Howard)
7. Encarsia azimi Hayat
8. Encarsia bangalorensis Hayat
9. Encarsia bennetti Hayat
10. Encarsia bimaculata Heraty & Polaszek
11. Encarsia bolangera Hayat
12. Encarsia borkusiensis Hayat
13. Encarsia boswelli (Girault)
14. Encarsia brevicalcar Hayat
15. Encarsia brevivalvula Hayat
16. Encarsia brevivena Hayat
17. Encarsia brimblecombei (Girault)
18. Encarsia cibcensis Lopez-Avila
19. Encarsia citrina (Craw)
20. Encarsia clypealis (Silvestri)
21. Encarsia coimbatorensis Hayat
22. Encarsia confusa Hayat
23. Encarsia dialeurodis Hayat
24. Encarsia dispersa Polaszek
25. Encarsia divergens (Silvestri)
26. Encarsia duorunga Hayat
27. Encarsia elegans Masi
28. Encarsia farmani Hayat
29. Encarsia flavoscutellum Zehntner
30. Encarsia guadeloupae Viggiani
31. Encarsia gunturensis (Azim & Shafee)
32. Encarsia hitam Hayat
33. Encarsia hragila Hayat
34. Encarsia inaron (Walker)
35. Encarsia indica (Shafee)
36. Encarsia inida Hayat
37. Encarsia interstrica Huang & Polaszek
38. Encarsia isaaci Mani
39. Encarsia ixorae Krishnan & Vasantharaj David
40. Encarsia jowaiana Hayat
41. Encarsia khadijae Hayat
42. Encarsia lahorensis (Howard)
43. Encarsia levo Hayat
44. Encarsia lipaleyrodis Krishnan & Vasantharaj David
45. Encarsia longicauda Hayat
46. Encarsia longifasciata Subba Rao
47. Encarsia lutea (Masi)
48. Encarsia macroptera Viggiani
49. Encarsia meghalayana Hayat
50. Encarsia merceti Silvestri
51. Encarsia muliyali Mani
52. Encarsia narayanani Agarwal
53. Encarsia norani Hayat
54. Encarsia obtusiclava Hayat
55. Encarsia occultans Hayat
56. Encarsia opulenta (Silvestri)
57. Encarsia orangae Raina, Khurad & Rathod
58. Encarsia ossira Hayat
59. Encarsia perflava Hayat
60. Encarsia perniciosi (Tower)
61. Encarsia perplexa Huang & Polaszek
62. Encarsia pseudococci (Agarwal)
63. Encarsia punicae Hayat
64. Encarsia pura Hayat
65. Encarsia reeda Hayat
66. Encarsia sankarani Hayat
67. Encarsia septentrionalis Hayat
68. Encarsia sikkimiana Hayat
69. Encarsia smithi (Silvestri)
70. Encarsia sophia (Girault & Dodd)
71. Encarsia strenua (Silvestri)
72. Encarsia terebrator (Shafee)
73. Encarsia tinctoriae Krishnan & Vasantharaj David
74. Encarsia tristis (Zehntner)
75. Encarsia trivittata Hayat
76. Encarsia udaipuriensis (Shafee)
Hosts and habitat
Endoparasitoids of diaspidids (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) and whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). This genus includes some of the most successfully employed biocontrol agents in the world against whiteflies and diaspine scales. Some species are known to attack aphids. Encarsia flavoscutellum Zehntner is a successful biocontrol agent of the sugarcane woolly aphid, Ceratovacuna lanigera Zehntner in India.
Selected references
- Hayat, M. 1998. Aphelinidae of India (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea): A taxonomic revision. Memoirs of Entomology, International. Volume 13. Associated Publishers, Gainesville, Florida. 416 pp.