Metaphycus Mercet

Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Encyrtidae: Encyrtinae

Length 0.5-1.8 mm. Body robust, rarely slender and elongate with largely orange, yellow to brown or black; antenna usually with black and white or yellow parts; fore wing hyaline to partially or uniformly infuscate; legs yellowish or with brown to black segments; tibiae frequently with dark rings; male generally darker and with more uniform colour in respect to that of corresponding female. Head with occipital margin sharp; mandible mostly broad with 3 short, subequal teeth. Pronotum short, broadly triangular in dorsal view, mesoscutum wider than long, notaular lines variable in length from virtually absent to complete; scutellum never with an apical flange that overhangs propodeum medially. Fore wing about 2.5x as long as broad with uniform setation, submarginal vein reaching about half way along wing; marginal and postmarginal veins very short; stigmal vein well developed, longer than marginal and postmarginal veins together; linea calva interrupted in posterior third by a few setae, or completely closed at this point. Gaster with hypopygium reaching half way along gaster to more or less reaching its apex; outer plates of ovipositor not reflected upwards posteriorly (From Noyes, 2004).

 Antenna

      Adult - dorsal view
 Adult - lateral view

Cosmopolitan.

Mainly reported as solitary or gregarious parasitoids of scales, mainly soft scales (Hemiptera: Coccidae) and diaspidids (Diaspididae). A few species have been reported as parasitoids of Kermococcidae, Asterolecaniidae, Kerridae, Eriococcidae, Cerococcidae and Pseudococcidae. Three species have been reported as parasitoids of Triozidae and several have been obtained from whiteflies (Aleyrodidae) (Noyes, 2004).

Factsheet prepared by Dr. A. Rameshkumar, Research associate, NPIB, NBAIR.