ABSTRACT The white mango scale, Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), is one of the most destructive pests of mango worldwide. Its current management in most of the invaded areas largely depends on the intensive use of chemical insecticides. Biological control using parasitoids represents one of the most effective and environmentally sustainable management options. However, in Kenya, one of Africa's leading mango‐producing countries, no effective parasitoid species associated with A. tubercularis had previously been recorded. This study aimed to identify encyrtid parasitoids associated with A. tubercularis in Kenya, and to assess how bioclimatic factors influence their occurrence and habitat suitability. Mango leaves infested with A. tubercularis were collected from 65 mango orchards across 10 counties, with sampling sites at least 4 km apart. Newly emerged parasitoids were reared on A. tubercularis for three successive generations to confirm host suitability and successful parasitism. Morphological and molecular identification of the recovered parasitoids revealed Arrhenophagus chionaspidis Aurivillius (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) as the only parasitoid that parasitized the male A. tubercularis . This parasitoid species was widely distributed, occurring in 60 out of the 65 sampled orchards. Ecological niche modelling indicated that major mango‐growing areas in Kenya in the western, eastern, central, and coastal regions represent moderately to highly suitable habitats for A. chionaspidis under current and projected climatic conditions in the year 2070. The widespread occurrence and predicted persistence of A. chionaspidis highlight its potential for biological control of A. tubercularis in Kenya and other mango‐producing regions of Africa.
Obala et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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