Encarsia formosa
Encarsia formosa is a species of chalcidoid wasp and a well known parasitoid of greenhouse whitefly, one of the first to be used commercially for biological pest control, from the 1920s. They can use at least 15 species of whitefly as a host, including Bemisia tabaci and Aleyrodes proletella.
| Encarsia formosa | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Aphelinidae |
| Subfamily: | Coccophaginae |
| Genus: | Encarsia |
| Species: | E. formosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Encarsia formosa Gahan, 1924 | |
The tiny females (about 0.6 mm long) are black with a yellow abdomen and opalescent wings. This species reproduces asexually via thelytoky induced by Wolbachia infection. Males are produced only rarely. They are slightly larger than females and are completely black in coloration.
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