Neodusmetia sangwani Rao
Taxonomic placing: Insecta, Holometabola, Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Encyrtidae.
Geographical distribution: An Oriental insect that was introduced into and became established in the southern USA and in Israel.
Host: Antonina graminis, the rhodesgrass scale.
Economic importance: A highly efficient endoparasitoid of the rhodesgrass scale.
Morphology: The female is wingless but the male has well-developed wings.
Life cycle: This endoparasitoid requires 17-20 days to complete a generation at 30°C, 55 days at 20°C. Each female produces about 35 offspring, placing ca 6 eggs in each of 5 or 6 host scales. The sex ratio is very female-biased (six females to each male), and the wingless females live only 1-2 days. Males have well-developed wings, which reduces sib-mating. The endoparasitoid may complete its development and emerge from non-feeding hosts, thus facilitating its mass rearing in the laboratory. In fields that are heavily infested by the rhodesgrass scale this enemy annually disperses for less than 1 km, thus it needs to be distributed by transferring parasitized scales from field to field.
References
Gerson, U., Mescheloff, E. and Dubitzki, E.. 1975. The introduction of Neodusmetia sangwani (Rao) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) into Israel for the control of rhodesgrass scale, Antonina graminis (Maskell) (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae). Journal of Applied Ecology 12: 767-779.
Schuster, M.F. and Bolling, J.C. 1971. Biological control of rhodesgrass scale in Texas by Neodusmetia sangwani (Rao). Effectiveness and colonization studies. Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, B1104: 1-15.
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