Anagyrus kamali Moursi

(Insecta: Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)

Anagyrus kamali is a specialist, solitary endoparasitoid wasp of pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus.

Adults are small wasps, with females 0.95-1.93 mm long and males 0.65-0.98 mm long. Females are orange with grayish eyes and antennae and transparent wings, while males often are darker in color. The numerous long sensilla on their antennae are another distinct feature of males.

Optimum development occurs when third instar nymphs of pink hibiscus mealybug are parasitized. Females lay eggs into the host, in which hatching larvae undergo six instars and then pupate. Adults emerge though an exit hole at the posterior end of the mummified host.

Anagyrus kamali has been reported from Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, China and Hawaii. In Hawaii, this parasitoid likely was introduced with the pink hibiscus mealybug and effectively controls host populations. Since the 1990s, it has been a powerful biocontrol agent against this pest in the Caribbean and in California.

Images 

To save the Web-optimized images shown below to your hard drive:

PC users: right click to "Save Picture (or Image) As..."

Mac users: click and drag to your desktop.

Dorsolateral view of adult female of Anagyrus kamali Moursi examining pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus, hosts

(Photographer: Lyle Buss, University of Florida)

Lateral view of adult female of Anagyrus kamali Moursi examining pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus, hosts

(Photographer: Lyle Buss, University of Florida)

Dorsal view of adult male of Anagyrus kamali Moursi

(Photographer: Lyle Buss, University of Florida)

Lateral view of adult male of Anagyrus kamali Moursi

(Photographer: Lyle Buss, University of Florida)