First Philippine record of the parasitoid, <i>Comperiella</i> sp. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae): a potential biocontrol agent against <i>Aspidiotus rigidus</i> (Hemiptera: Diaspididae)

Abstract

Abstract The encyrtid genus Comperiella Howard has so far not been reported in the Philippines, where there is currently an outbreak of the coconut scale insect Aspidiotus rigidus Reyne particularly in the southern parts of the island of Luzon and in some areas in Mindanao. Among Comperiella species, only C. unifasciata Ishii has been reported as a parasitoid of A. rigidus . We report not only new sightings of this parasitoid genus in the Philippines from surveys conducted in parts of the provinces of Laguna and Batangas, but also the discovery of a possibly new species that, like C. unifasciata , has been found to parasitize A. rigidus at a high rate. These findings have presented a potential of biological control against the coconut scale insect problem that has threatened the coconut industry in the country.