Scutellista Explained

Scutellista is a genus of chalcid wasps.^[1] They are parasitoids of scale insects.^[2]

Description

The scutellum projects as a roof over about two-thirds of the gaster. The mesoscutum and scutellum have with many scattered short hairs, rather than pairs of strong bristles.^[3]

Taxonomy

The genus Scutellista includes the following species:

• Scutellista aenea Kurdjumov, 1912; found in Ukraine.
• Scutellista caerulea (Fonscolombe, 1832), a parasitoid of many scale insect species (Coccoidea); it has been introduced into many countries as a biological control agent, and has a world-wide distribution.
• Scutellista gigantea Berlese, 1916, a parasitoid of the scale insect Ceroplastes mimosae; found in Eritrea.
• Scutellista hayati (Farooqi, 1981), a parasitoid of Cerococcus, a scale insect; found in India
• Scutellista hispanica (Masi, 1931); found in Croatia and Spain.
• Scutellista nigra Mercet, 1910, a parasitoid of scale insects; found in Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, and Spain.
• Scutellista obscura (Foerster, 1878), a parasitoid of scale insects; found in the Palearctic.
• Scutellista ovivora (Ishii, 1928), a parasitoid of Lecanium, a scale insect; found in Japan.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Genus Scutellista . iNaturalist . 2024-01-08 . en.
2. Web site: Noyes . J.S. . March 2019. Universal Chalcidoidea Database . The Natural History Museum . 8 January 2024.
3. Xiao, H., & Huang, D. W. (2001). A review of Eunotinae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae) from China. Journal of Natural History, 35(11), 1587-1605. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/002229301317092342