Encarsia cibcensis Lopez-Avila

Encarsia cibcensis Lopez-Avila, 1987: 427. Holotype female [ex culture UK, Ascot, Silwood Park] B. tabaci on beans, 26.viii.1986 (A. Lopez-Avila), origin: Pakistan, Rawalpindi, ex B. tabaci on Lantana camara, iv.1985 (A.I. Mohyuddin), (BMNH).

Encarsia cibcensis: Polaszek et al., 1992: 381; Huang & Polaszek, 1998: 1856.

Diagnosis

Female

Colour

Head and body yellow, apical segments of antenna slightly darker. Fore wing hyaline with slightly darkened area near base of marginal vein and with sparse setation and poorly defined, bare area adjacent to leading edge.

Morphology

Clava 2-segmented and not very distinctly defined. Pedicel longer than F1 (1.43-1.48). F1 distinctly shorter than F2 (0.77-0.78) and F3 (0.59-0.61). Mid lobe of mesoscutum with 4(-7) setae. Scutellar sensilla widely separated (approximately 4 x the width of a sensillum). Distance between anterior pair of scutellar setae smaller than between posterior pair. Fore wing 2.9-3.0 x as long as wide. Marginal fringe 0.60-0.61 x as long as wing width. Tarsus of middle leg 5-segmented. Apical spur of middle tibia subequal to half the length of the basal tarsal segment (0.56). Ovipositor 1.25-1.32 x the length of the middle tibia. Third valvula 0.37-0.44 x as long as second valvifer.

Species
group

Encarsia cibcensis was erroneously placed in the lutea-group by Lopez-Avila (Polaszek et al., 1992) and later transferred to the E. perflava-group by Hayat (1989)

Distribution
in the
Australian and
Pacific regions

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Host

B. tabaci (Gennadius). The following additional hosts have been recorded (Huang & Polaszek, 1998): Aleurotrachelus caerulescens Singh, Aleurotuberculatus ficicola Takahashi, Dialeurodes agalmae Takahashi, Pealius mori (Takahashi), Singhius hibisci (Kotinsky), Taiwanaleyrodes miliosmae Takahashi.

Comments

Encarsia cibcensis is characterized by the distinct bare area near the leading edge of the fore wing distally from the stigmal vein and continuing along the margin towards the hind margin. This species was released into the Pacific Islands region in 1994. Encarsia cibcenis was obtained from the Punjab, India, and released in Kiribati in 1990. It established and was subsequently recovered in 1992 (Sandhu, 1994). Whether it was effective is unknown.