In this study, the invasive orange spiny whitefly (“OSW”; Aleurocanthus spiniferus) and a species of Encarsia parasitising its puparia were studied in three different areas of the province of Modena (Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy): a pear orchard in Bomporto, an organic pear orchard in Carpi, and the semi-natural botanical garden La Pica in San Felice sul Panaro. The material of both species was collected for taxonomic and molecular studies. The abundance of OSW and parasitoid activity was surveyed in whitefly puparia, with a focus on the botanical garden. A total of 1,800 leaves of Malus domestica, Pyrus communis and Vitis vinifera were sampled to assess whitefly infestation. The results showed a significant variation in the abundance of A. spiniferus puparia, with the highest infestation observed in V. vinifera. Morphological and molecular analyses, including mitochondrial COI and rRNA 16S for whiteflies and COI and 28S for parasitoids, confirmed the identity of A. spiniferus and identified the parasitoid as Encarsia nipponica. Molecular data also revealed the presence of three haplotypes of A. spiniferus, including a haplotype from China new to Europe. The parasitisation rate by E. nipponica was low (0.015%). Our results update the distribution of A. spiniferus and E. nipponica in Italy, providing insights into their ecological interactions and potential implications for pest management strategies.
Costi et al. (Fri,) studied this question.