Natural-history-museum-london

Guides

• Cryptochetum iceryae

  cottony cushion scale parasite, cottony cushion scale parasitoid

  Cryptochetum iceryae is a parasitic fly in the family Cryptochetidae, native to Australia. It was deliberately introduced to California in the 1880s as a biological control agent against the cottony cushion scale (Icerya purchasi), a major pest of citrus crops. The species has since been introduced to Israel and South America for similar purposes. In 2019, it was discovered in the United Kingdom for the first time, identified in the wildlife garden at the Natural History Museum in London.

  biological-controlparasitoidagricultural-pest-managementDipteraCryptochetidaeclassical-biological-controlcitrus-pestinvasive-species-managementAustralia-native1880s-introductionCaliforniaIsraelSouth-AmericaUnited-Kingdom-2019-discoveryNatural-History-Museum-Londonscale-insect-parasiteendoparasitoidIcerya-purchasicottony-cushion-scalesuccessful-biocontrolintegrated-pest-managementvedalia-beetle-complementWilliston-1888Lestophonus-iceryae