Encyrtidae

Female Anagyrus pseudococci alongside remains of mealybug host, copyright Kent M. Daane.

Belongs within: Chalcidoidea.
Contains: Aphycus, Encyrtinae.

The Encyrtidae are a family of small wasps whose larvae are mostly endoparasites of Hemiptera or insect larvae. They have been divided between two subfamilies, with females of the Tetracneminae possessing a narrow filament (paratergite) connecting the ovipositor to the eight metasomal tergite. Among tetracnemines, the species Anagyrus pseudococci has been widely reared commercially for use in mealybug control.

Characters (from Bouček 1988): Flagellum with at most 9 segments (plus occasionally one very small anellus); mesothoracic pleuron greatly enlarged, convex, transformed into a large, undivided shield; mid coxae much nearer to fore coxae than to hind ones; mesoscutum convex and short, notauli absent or indicated by superficial lines strongly converging to meet at the pointed front end of scutellum; axillae transverse, often meeting in midline; marginal vein often shorter than the stigmal.

<==Encyrtidae [Tetracneminae]
    |--Savzdargia hofferi HB13
    `--+--Encyrtinae HB13
       `--+--Leptomastides MH11
          `--+--Neodusmetia sangwani MH11
             `--Anagyrus HB13
                  |--*A. greeni Howard 1896 G17b, GM79
                  |--A. alpinus Girault 1917 G17b
                  |--A. antoninae C81
                  |--A. australiensis S07
                  |--A. pseudococci HB13
                  |--A. schoenherri A71
                  `--A. yuccae (Coquillett 1890) G17b, GM79 [=Blastothrix yuccae G17b]

Encyrtidae incertae sedis:
  Zealandencyrtus yasumatsui M83
  Epidinocarsis Girault 1913 G17b, GM79
    `--E. lopezi LS96
  Paracopidosomopsis Girault 1916 G17c, GM79
    |--P. coleophorae (Mayr 1875) GM79 [=Copidosoma coleophorae G17c]
    |--P. floridana Ashmead 1900 GM79
    |--P. hartmanni (Mayr 1875) GM79 [=Copidosoma hartmanni G17c]
    |--P. japonicus G17d
    |    |--P. j. japonicus G17d
    |    `--P. j. nippon Girault 1917 G17d
    `--P. javae Girault 1917 G17a
  Blastothrix Mayr 1875 A71, GM79
    |--B. brittanica Girault 1917 G17d
    |--B. hardyi Girault 1922 G22
    |--B. mercurius G22
    `--B. sericea (Dalman 1820) GM79
  Parablatticida Girault 1924 G21, GM79 [incl. Holanusia Girault 1924 G24, GM79]
  Anagyropsis Girault 1917 G24, GM79
    |--A. australiensis (Girault 1912) GM79
    `--A. burnsi Girault 1921 G21
  Schedius G27
    |--S. euxoae Girault 1927 G27
    `--S. kuvanae RD77
  Charitopus N91 [incl. Eupelmomorpha B88]
  Tetracyclos Kryger 1942 H83
    `--*T. boreios Kryger 1942 H83
  Oobius HB13
  Stemmatosteres H83
  Globulencyrtus Hoffer 1975 ST08
    |--*G. politus (Hoffer 1957) [=Semen politum] ST08
    `--G. dahmsi Simutnik & Trjapitzin 2008 T14
  Homalotylus S07
    |--H. flavimesopleuron Girault 1917 G17d
    |--H. microgaster Girault 1917 GM79
    `--H. orci Girault 1917 G17a
  Leptomastix N91
    |--L. bicoloricornis Girault 1915 GM79
    `--L. varithorax Girault 1923 G23
  Callipteroma N91
  Ananusia N91
  Dinocarsis B37
    |--D. fasciiscapus Girault 1932 G32b
    |--D. holbeini Girault 1923 G23b
    |--D. rotundiceps Girault 1932 G32a
    |--D. spica Girault 1921 GM79
    `--D. thyridopterigis B37
  Propelma rohdendorfi RJ93
  Aphycini S96
    |--Aphycus G32a
    `--Mucrencyrtus Noyes 1980 [Paraphycina] S96
         |--*M. insulanus Noyes 1980 S96
         |--M. aclerdae (De Santis 1972) [=Aenasioidea aclerdae] S96
         |--M. arundinariae Sharkov 1996 S96
         |--M. atratus Sharkov 1996 S96
         |--M. dbari Sharkov 1996 S96
         |--M. ecuadorensis Sharkov 1996 S96
         |--M. ferrierei (Burks 1964) [=Aenasioidea ferrierei] S96
         `--M. variabilis Sharkov 1996 S96
  Comones ferrierei S96
  Ageniaspis RD77

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[A71] Askew, R. R. 1971. Parasitic Insects. Heinemann Educational Books: London.

[B37] Balduf, W. V. 1937. Bionomic notes on the common bagworm, Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis Haw., (Lepid., Psychidae) and its insect enemies (Hym., Lepid.). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 39 (7): 169–184.

[B88] Bouček, Z. 1988. Australasian Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera): A biosystematic revision of genera of fourteen families, with a reclassification of species. CAB International: Wallingford (UK).

[C81] Caltagirone, L. E. 1981. Landmark examples in classical biological control. Annual Review of Entomology 26: 213–232.

[G17a] Girault, A. A. 1917a. New Javanese Hymenoptera. Privately published (reprinted in: Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 59–71).

[G17b] Girault, A. A. 1917b. Descriptiones stellarum novarum. Privately published (reprinted in: Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 80–101).

[G17c] Girault, A. A. 1917c. Descriptiones hymenopterorum chalcidoidicarum variorum cum observationibus. III. Privately published (reprinted in: Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 102–111).

[G17d] Girault, A. A. 1917d. Descriptiones hymenopterorum chalcidoidicarum variorum cum observationibus. V. Privately published (reprinted in: Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 116–131).

[G21] Girault, A. A. 1921. New animals of Australia and old men of the earth. Privately published (reprinted in: Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 161–163).

[G22] Girault, A. A. 1922. The true remedy for head lice, dedication of a new animal to the quality of majesty and so forth. Privately published (reprinted in: Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 166).

[G23] Girault, A. A. 1923. Loves wooed and won in Australia. Privately published (reprinted in: Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 167–169).

[G24] Girault, A. A. 1924. Homo perniciosus and new Hymenoptera. Privately published (reprinted in: Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 178–181).

[G27] Girault, A. A. 1927. New Australian animals so far overlooked by outsiders. Privately published (reprinted in: Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 211–212).

[G32a] Girault, A. A. 1932a. New pests from Australia, X. Privately published (reprinted in: Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 286–291).

[G32b] Girault, A. A. 1932b. Hymenoptera, Thysanoptera nova Australiensis. II. Privately published (reprinted in: Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 292).

[GM79] Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 1–400.

[H83] Hayat, M. 1983. The genera of Aphelinidae (Hymenoptera) of the world. Systematic Entomology 8: 63–102.

[HB13] Heraty, J. M., R. A. Burks, A. Cruaud, G. A. P. Gibson, J. Liljeblad, J. Munro, J.-Y. Rasplus, G. Delvare, P. Janšta, A. Gumovsky, J. Huber, J. B. Woolley, L. Krogmann, S. Heydon, A. Polaszek, S. Schmidt, D. C. Darling, M. W. Gates, J. Mottern, E. Murray, A. D. Molin, S. Triapitsyn, H. Baur, J. D. Pinto, S. van Noort, J. George & M. Yoder. 2013. A phylogenetic analysis of the megadiverse Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). Cladistics 29: 466–542.

[LS96] Levins, R., & B. B. Schultz. 1996. Effects of density dependence, feedback and environmental sensitivity on correlations among predators, prey and plant resources: models and practical implications. Journal of Animal Ecology 65: 802–812.

[M83] Martin, N. A. 1983. Miscellaneous observations on a pasture fauna: an annotated species list. DSIR Entomology Division Report 3: 1–98.

[MH11] Munro, J. B., J. M. Heraty, R. A. Burks, D. Hawks, J. Mottern, A. Cruaud, J.-Y. Rasplus & P. Jansta. 2011. A molecular phylogeny of the Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). PloS One 6 (11): e27023.

[N91] Naumann, I. D. 1991. Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, ants, sawflies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers vol. 2 pp. 916–1000. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[RD77] Richards, O. W., & R. G. Davies. 1977. Imms' General Textbook of Entomology 10^th ed. vol. 2. Classification and Biology. Chapman and Hall: London.

[RJ93] Ross, A. J., & E. A. Jarzembowski. 1993. Arthropoda (Hexapoda; Insecta). In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 363–426. Chapman & Hall: London.

[S96] Sharkov, A. 1996. A review of the species of the genus Mucrencyrtus Noyes (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 98 (2): 350–368.

[ST08] Simutnik, S. A., & V. A. Trjapitzin. 2008. Description of a new species of the genus Globulencyrtus (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Encyrtidae) from Australia with information of G. politus, the type species, a parasitoid of mites of the family Caeculidae (Acarina). Vestnik Zoologii 42 (6): 559–562.

[S07] Ślipiński, A. 2007. Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): Their biology and classification. Australian Biological Resources Study: Canberra.

[T14] Taylor, C. K. 2014. Two further Neocaeculus species (Acari: Prostigmata: Caeculidae) from Barrow Island, Western Australia. Acarologia 54 (3): 347–358.

Last updated: 14 March 2021.