Newly identified Metaphycus species parasitize Bemisia tabaci, suggesting diverse parasitoid interactions.
A female and male of a potential new species of the Metaphycus omega-group (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Encyrtidae) were reared from the puparia (i.e., 4th instar nymph) of a whitefly belonging to the Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) complex (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) from central and southwest Florida as part of ongoing whitefly parasitoid surveys throughout the southeastern United States. The D2 and D3 regions of the 28S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and a portion of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene were sequenced from a single male specimen that was subjected to non-destructive DNA extraction followed by slide mounting in Canada balsam. The behavior of the male parasitoid larva within the whitefly nymph is described, an updated key to the species of Metaphycus Mercet that attack whiteflies is provided, and the genera of the chalcidoid family Encyrtidae reportedly reared from whiteflies are reviewed.
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Lahey et al. (2025) studied this question.
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