Acerophagus E. Smith 1880

Zuparko, Robert L., 2015, Annotated Checklist of California Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera), Zootaxa 4017 (1), pp. 1-126 : 9-11

Acerophagus E. Smith 1880

Hosts. Hemiptera : Coccidae , Dactylopiidae , Diaspididae , Pseudococcidae

abstrusus ( Gahan 1946: 316) (Pseudaphycus) Type. USNM

Distribution. W (Imperial)

Host/habitat. Pseudococcus comstocki , P. sp., Spilococcus pressus

angelicus ( Howard 1898a: 245) (Aphycus)

Type. USNM

Distribution. N (Alameda, Fresno, Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Tulare, Ventura)

Host/habitat. Dysmicoccus brevipes , D. ryani , Ferrisia virgata , Formicococcus njalensis , Phenacoccus gossypii , P.? maderiensis , Planococcus citri , Pseudococcus calceolariae , P. longispinus , P. maritimus , P. sp., Spilococcus implicatus ; NEW: Phenacoccus colemani , P. pergandei , P. solani (all UCRC)

Remarks. The natural range of this species is restricted to the western United States, but there are two incongruous records, from Quebec, Canada (Gordh 1979: 927) and Bermuda (de Santis 1989: 41). The record from Quebec traces back to the citation in Peck (1963: 398) that refers to its importation from California in a biocontrol program against P. maritimus in greenhouses ( Burnett 1947). Similarly, the citation by de Santis presumably traces back to its use in a biocontrol program against P. longispinus in Bermuda in 1951, although it failed to establish there ( Bennett & Hughes 1959), and Hilburn et al. (1990) did not list it in their list of Bermuda Hymenoptera . A series of specimens was reportedly reared from Saissetia oleae (EMEC), but I suspect this is an error in identification. Another specimen (EMEC), determined as near angelicus , was reared from Spilococcus mamillariae in Alameda County.

antennalis Rosen 1969: 50

Type. USNM

Distribution. C (Los Angeles) Host/habitat. Dysmicoccus ryani

californicus Rosen 1969: 68

Type. UCRC

Distribution. C (Imperial)

Host/habitat. Spilococcus pressus

Remarks. A specimen determined possibly as A. californicus was collected from Riverside County (UCRC). Two other specimens were collected together from Adenostoma fasciculatum (Rosaceae) in Marin County (RLZC): a macropterous female resembling A. californicus , and a brachypterous female.

citrinus ( Howard 1898a: 235) (Rhopoideus)

Type. USNM

Distribution. N (Nevada)

Host/habitat. Unknown

Remarks. Howard (1898a) reported Diaspidiotus pernicious (repeated in Quaintance 1915) and Tortrix sp. as hosts. The latter is clearly a mistake, while Timberlake (1916) opined that the former was likely to be in error as well, based on the host records of related species. Aulacaspis rosae was also reported as a host in Peck (1951, 1963), who mistakenly attributed this to Ashmead (1900: 408) —Ashmead instead listed only D. perniciosus .

coccois E. Smith 1880: 84

Type. USNM

Distribution. N (Los Angeles, Riverside, Tulare)

Host/habitat. Oracella acuta , Phenacoccus acericola , P. a c er i s, P. gossypii , P. herreni , P. maderiensis , P. manihoti ; NEW: Pseudococcus comstocki (UCRC)

Remarks. Timberlake (1916) reported the locations of the types are not known, but Rosen (1969) redescribed the species from a cotype. The host record of Pulvinaria vitis (Linnaeus) attributed by Peck (1963: 401) to Howard (1895b) is incorrect.

fasciipennis Timberlake 1918: 348

Type. USNM

Distribution. C (Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura) Host/habitat. Anisococcus crawii ; NEW: Dysmicoccus ryani (UCRC)

flavidulus ( Brèthes 1916: 424) (Psilomirinus)

Type. MACN

Distribution. E (San Luis Obispo)

Host/habitat. Pseudococcus viburni , Pseudococcus sp.

Remarks. This is a South American species, and material from Chile was used to begin an insectary colony in that country. Material from that colony was released from 1997–1999 in a biocontrol program against Pseudococcus viburni in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties , and the species was recovered in the former county almost ten years later, albeit at low rates (Daane et al. 2008). In the original description, this species was reportedly reared from the diaspidid, Diaspis (= Pseudaulacaspis ) pentagona , but Noyes (2001) considers this an error.

maculipennis ( Mercet 1923: 140) (Pseudaphycus)

Type. MNMS

Distribution. E (San Luis Obispo)

Host/habitat. Pseudococcus maritimus , P . viburni

Remarks. This is a Palearctic species that has been used successfully in New Zealand to control P. viburni (Daane et al. 2008) . In 2006, material from New Zealand was brought into California quarantine, but has not yet been released (Daane, pers. comm.). Nevertheless, this species was reared from P. viburni in San Luis Obispo County in 2007.

malinus ( Gahan 1946: 317) (Pseudaphycus) Type. USNM

Distribution. E (Kern, Stanislaus, Tulare) Host/habitat. Coccura suwakoensis , Pseudococcus comstocki , P. cryptus ; NEW: Pseudococcus longispinus (UCRC)

Remarks. This species was established after being introduced from Japan in a biological control program against Pseudococcus comstocki in the 1970s ( Meyerdirk & Newell 1979). Dysmicoccus brevipes has been cited as a host ( Noyes 2001), based on the use of P. malinus in a biocontrol program against that species ( Bartlett 1978c), but there are no records of the parasitoid attacking the mealybug. Pulvinaria vitis has been cited as a host of this species in the USSR ( Shutova & Kukhtina 1955), but I suspect this is a misidentification of the host.

notativentris ( Girault 1917b: 10) (Pseudaphycus)

Type. USNM

Distribution. N (Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Santa Clara, Solano, Stanislaus, Tulare)

Host/habitat. Dysmicoccus ryani , Eurycoccus blancharidii , Ferrisia virgata , Formicococcus njalensis , Pseudococcus comstocki , Pseudococcus maritimus , Pseudococcus viburni , Pseudococcus sp.

pallidus Timberlake 1918: 350

Type. USNM

Distribution. C (Kern, Ventura)

Host/habitat. Ferrisia virgata , Formicococcus njalensis , Phenacoccus gossypii , P. madeirensis , P. solani , Pseudococcus maritimus , Spilococcus atriplicis , S. eriogoni

texanus ( Howard 1898a: 245) (Aphycus)

Type. USNM

Distribution. E (Imperial)

Host/habitat. Ferrisia virgata

Remarks. This species was imported from Mexico and released from 1966–1967 ( DeBach & Warner 1969)

spp.

Remarks. Specimens determined as Acerophagus “ meracus or near” were collected from Tulare county (UCRC). There are undetermined specimens of this genus from Alameda, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Lassen, Modoc, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne and Ventura counties (CSCA, EMEC, RLZC, SJSC, UCFC), including a series (EMEC) recorded from Spilococcus sequoiae .