New Record of <i>Encarsia protransvena</i> and Confirmed Occurrence of <i>Encarsia hispida</i> (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) as Parasitoids of <i>Singhiella simplex</i> (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Italy
Giuliano Cerasa,
Luigi Tomasello,
Gianluca Melone,
Elia Russo,
Gaetano Siscaro,
Carmelo Cavallaro,
Annamaria Ienco,
Francesca Laudani,
Vincenzo Palmeri,
Orlando Campolo,
Francesca Garganese,
Francesco Porcelli,
Paolo A. Pedata,
Vittorio Farina,
Giovanni Gugliuzza,
Roberto Rizzo,
Stefania Laudonia,
Gabriella Lo Verde
Affiliations
Giuliano Cerasa
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Science, University of Palermo (UNIPA), Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 5, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Luigi Tomasello
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Science, University of Palermo (UNIPA), Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 5, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Gianluca Melone
National Research Council, Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, P. le E. Fermi 1, 80055 Portici, Italy
Elia Russo
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II (UNINA), Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy
Gaetano Siscaro
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania (UNICT), Via Santa Sofia, 100, 95123 Catania, Italy
Carmelo Cavallaro
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania (UNICT), Via Santa Sofia, 100, 95123 Catania, Italy
Annamaria Ienco
Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria (UNIRC), Loc Feo di Vito, 89100 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Francesca Laudani
Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria (UNIRC), Loc Feo di Vito, 89100 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Vincenzo Palmeri
Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria (UNIRC), Loc Feo di Vito, 89100 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Orlando Campolo
Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria (UNIRC), Loc Feo di Vito, 89100 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Francesca Garganese
Department of Soil Sciences, Plants and Food, University of Bari Aldo Moro (UNIBA), Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Francesco Porcelli
Department of Soil Sciences, Plants and Food, University of Bari Aldo Moro (UNIBA), Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Paolo A. Pedata
National Research Council, Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, P. le E. Fermi 1, 80055 Portici, Italy
Vittorio Farina
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Science, University of Palermo (UNIPA), Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 5, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Giovanni Gugliuzza
CREA-Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, c/o Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Science, University of Palermo (UNIPA), Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 5, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Roberto Rizzo
CREA-Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, c/o Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Science, University of Palermo (UNIPA), Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 5, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Stefania Laudonia
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II (UNINA), Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy
Gabriella Lo Verde
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Science, University of Palermo (UNIPA), Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 5, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Encarsia protransvena (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) is recorded here for the first time in Italy as a parasitoid of the whitefly Singhiella simplex (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), one of the most invasive alien pests of exotic Ficus species. Singhiella simplex, originating from the Oriental region, has established a global presence. Monitoring of the whitefly and its parasitoids was conducted in the southern areas of Italy, providing crucial insights into their distribution and interactions. The taxonomic identity of E. protransvena, was confirmed by scrutiny of morphological and molecular taxonomic characters. At the time of writing, we also obtained some specimens of Encarsia hispida from the host collected in Campania. We reserve the right to provide bio-ethological information on the species in the future. Comprehensive illustrations and diagnostic features are provided for the host and the parasitoids. An identification key is included for all Encarsia species associated with S. simplex, which provides a valuable tool to distinguish these aphelinid wasps for future research and applications in biological control programs.
