Whitefly-parasitoid
Guides
Aphelinidae
Aphelinidae is a family of minute parasitic wasps containing approximately 1,100-1,160 described species across 34-35 genera. These tiny insects are among the most important biological control agents used in agriculture, particularly for managing scale insects, whiteflies, and other Hemiptera. The family was formerly paraphyletic, leading to the recent elevation of Azotidae, Calesidae, and Eriaporidae to family rank. Specimens deteriorate rapidly after death unless preserved in ethanol, making museum identification challenging.
Aphelininae
Aphelininae is a subfamily of minute parasitic wasps in the family Aphelinidae (order Hymenoptera). Members are primarily parasitoids of scale insects, whiteflies, and other Hemiptera, with some species serving as important biological control agents. The subfamily was established by Thomson in 1876. Some genera historically placed in Aphelininae have been subject to taxonomic revision, with certain species formerly classified here now reassigned to other families such as Eulophidae.
Encarsia formosa
Greenhouse Whitefly Parasitoid Wasp
Encarsia formosa is a minute chalcidoid wasp in the family Aphelinidae, renowned as one of the first biological control agents used commercially for greenhouse pest management beginning in the 1920s. Females are approximately 0.6 mm in length and exhibit a distinctive black body with yellow abdomen and opalescent wings. The species reproduces asexually via thelytoky induced by Wolbachia bacterial infection; males are produced but are incapable of inseminating females. This parasitoid attacks at least 15 whitefly species, with primary hosts including Trialeurodes vaporariorum (greenhouse whitefly) and Bemisia tabaci (silverleaf whitefly).
Encarsia lanceolata
Encarsia lanceolata is a species of parasitoid wasp in the family Aphelinidae, described by Evans and Polaszek in 1997. The genus Encarsia comprises minute chalcidoid wasps that parasitize whiteflies and other hemipteran hosts. Species in this genus are extensively studied for their importance in biological control programs targeting agricultural pests. E. lanceolata belongs to a genus noted for its extensive cryptic species diversity, making accurate identification dependent on detailed morphological or molecular analysis.
Encarsia nigricephala
Encarsia nigricephala is a parasitoid wasp species in the family Aphelinidae, described by Dozier in 1937. The species name refers to its dark (black) head. Like other members of the genus Encarsia, it is likely a parasitoid of whiteflies (Aleyrodidae), though specific host records for this species are not well documented in the available literature. The species has been recorded from the southeastern United States (Florida, Georgia, Maryland), the Caribbean (Martinique), and South America (Minas Gerais, Brazil).