Encarsia diaspidicola Silvestri

Matsunaga, Janis N., Howarth, Francis G. & Kumashiro, Bernarr R., 2019, New State Records and Additions to the Alien Terrestrial Arthropod Fauna in the Hawaiian Islands, Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 51 (1), pp. 1-71 : 12

Encarsia diaspidicola Silvestri

NEW STATE RECORD

Pest calls regarding high infestations of Pseudaulacaspis pentagona attacking papaya trees in Manoa were reported in June, 2012. Samples of the scales were taken and held for emergence of any parasitoids that may be present. Unexpectedly, a species of Encarsia emerged, and was tentatively identified as E. diaspidicola Silvestri , and subsequently confirmed by G.A. Evans. Evans also revisited specimens which were reared from sago palm fronds infested with Aulacapis yasumatsui and other scale insects in 2008. He identified these as E. diaspidicola in 2012.

This was surprising not only because it would constitute a new record for Hawaii, but because Encarsia diaspidicola was a candidate biological control agent of P. pentagona (Diaspididae) in Hawaii by USDA-ARS-PBARC entomologists, and had not yet been released ( Neumann et al. 2010). Shortly after the Oahu discovery, lab-reared E. diaspidicola were released on Hawaii island in papaya fields to control the P. pentagona infestations devastating this crop in Hawaii ( Follett et al. 2015).

Collection records: OAHU, Hawaii Loa Ridge, 3.XI.2008, ex. reared from Cycas revoluta infested with Aulacaspis yasumatsui and possibly other scale insects, coll. J. (Garcia) Matsunaga, det. G.A. Evans, 2012; Manoa , 5.XI.2012, ex. Pseudaulacaspis pentagona , on Carica papaya , coll. W. Nagamine, det. G. A. Evans, 16.II.2013. Vouchers at HDOA.