New State Records and Additions to the Alien Terrestrial Arthropod Fauna in the Hawaiian Islands
Author
Matsunaga, Janis N.
Author
Howarth, Francis G.
Author
Kumashiro, Bernarr R.
text
Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society
2019
51
1
1
71
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.10832895
0073-134X
10832895
Encarsia diaspidicola
Silvestri
NEW STATE RECORD
Pest
calls regarding high infestations of
Pseudaulacaspis pentagona
attacking papaya trees in
Manoa
were reported in June, 2012. Samples of the scales were taken and held for emergence of any parasitoids that may be present. Unexpectedly, a species of
Encarsia
emerged, and was tentatively identified as
E. diaspidicola
Silvestri
, and subsequently confirmed by G.A. Evans. Evans also revisited specimens which were reared from sago palm fronds infested with
Aulacapis yasumatsui
and other scale insects in 2008. He identified these as
E. diaspidicola
in 2012.
This was surprising not only because it would constitute a new record for
Hawaii
, but because
Encarsia diaspidicola
was a candidate biological control agent of
P. pentagona
(Diaspididae)
in
Hawaii
by USDA-ARS-PBARC entomologists, and had not yet been released (
Neumann et al. 2010
). Shortly after the Oahu discovery, lab-reared
E. diaspidicola
were released on
Hawaii
island in papaya fields to control the
P. pentagona
infestations devastating this crop in
Hawaii
(
Follett et al. 2015
).
Collection records: OAHU
,
Hawaii
Loa Ridge,
3.XI.2008
, ex. reared from
Cycas revoluta
infested with
Aulacaspis yasumatsui
and possibly other scale insects, coll. J. (Garcia) Matsunaga, det. G.A. Evans, 2012;
Manoa
,
5.XI.2012
, ex.
Pseudaulacaspis pentagona
,
on
Carica papaya
, coll. W. Nagamine, det. G. A. Evans,
16.II.2013
. Vouchers at HDOA.