title: Description of a new species of Anagyrus Howard (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Encyrtidae), a promising biological control agent of the invasive Madeira mealybug, Phenacoccus madeirensis Green (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Pseudococcidae).
abstract: Anagyrus amnestos sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), a promising parasitoid of the invasive Madeira mealybug, Phenacoccus madeirensis Green (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is described based on material collected from India. This parasitoid was identified as Anagyrus sp. nov. nr. sinope Noyes & Menezes in recent literature, and was initially collected in Georgia, USA. It was found to be a specific parasitoid of the Madeira mealybug and its biological attributes and potential as a biological control agent of this pest were studied. In what appears to be a case of fortuitous introduction, we detected this parasitoid in large numbers on Madeira mealybugs from the southern Indian state of Karnataka, where the mealybug is a recently introduced invasive pest. In view of its economic importance as a potential biological control agent of the Madeira mealybug, it is formally described and illustrated here. Comparative accounts of the new species vis-a-vis its close relatives in India and the Americas are provided.
authors.affiliation: National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Insects, PB No. 2491, HA Farm Post, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560024, Karnataka, India. drrameshtrichy@gmail.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rameshkumar
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Noyes
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poorani
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chong
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000469:parasitology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007194:India; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D013045:Species Specificity; D014863:Wasps / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology