Anicetus Howard

Zuparko, Robert L., 2015, Annotated Checklist of California Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera), Zootaxa 4017 (1), pp. 1-126 : 13

Anicetus Howard [in Howard & Ashmead] 1896

Hosts. Hemiptera : Coccidae

annulatus Timberlake 1919b: 227

Type. USNM

Distribution. E (Alameda, Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Clara)

Host/habitat. Ceroplastes ceriferus , Coccus hesperidum , C. pseudomagnoliarum , C. viridis , Eucalymnatus tessellatus , Eulecanium sp., Pulvinaria aurantii , P. kuwacola , P. polygonata , P. psidii , Saissetia coffeae , S. oleae

Remarks. Timberlake (1913) noted this species in California in 1912 (as Anicetus sp.), although this record may represent specimens escaped from the State Insectary Laboratory in Sacramento. In 1922–23, a handful of individuals were released in Los Angeles County ( Smith 1923), while large-scale releases started only in 1931, with material imported from Australia & Taiwan during several biocontrol programs ( Bartlett 1978a). Trjapitzin & Ruiz Cancino (2009) reported two locations that are misreadings of the collection data. The first was reported as “ex Coccus sp. on Aralia , on Yenyo Marin Beach (San Francisco, Cal.) in 1922.” In actuality, the label reads “Taiyo Maru boat”—these specimens originated from a plant used as an ornamental on a Japanese steamer, which had docked in San Francisco ( Compere 1924). The second was reported as “ 1 mile south of Centerville near Niliss, Calif., Dec. 1, 1940 (Flanders & Finney)”, but the label reads “Niles” (not Niliss), and notes that the specimen was reared from a scale on an orange tree. There are about ten “Centervilles” in the State of California, but this site is probably the one in Alameda County that is now part of the Niles district of Fremont. Timberlake (1913) initially reported this species as a hyperparasitoid, but in the formal description (taken from a Hawaiian population) he confirmed it is a primary (1919b).