Parasitoids of economically important whiteflies associated with greenhouse vegetable crops in western Sydney

Abstract

A survey of the endemic parasitoids of whiteflies in the greenhouse cropping regions of western Sydney was conducted from 13 October 2005 to 15 March 2007. The fourth-instar nymphs of both Bemisia tabaci (Aleyrodidae), including silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci biotype B), and greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum, Aleyrodidae) were collected from weeds surrounding greenhouses. These nymphs were incubated until the emergence of either a whitefly or parasitoid and the parasitoids were then identified. Eight species of parasitoids from two genera were detected in this survey (Encarsia accenta, E. formosa, E. mineoi, E. pergandiella, Eretmocerus queenslandensis, Eret. warrae, Eret. mundus and Eret. hayati). Five of these species were known parasitoids of silverleaf whitefly; one is a known parasitoid of greenhouse whitefly with two species known to parasitise both hosts. The presence of Eret. hayati is of particular interest because it has never been deliberately released into the surveyed region. Of these parasitoids, Eret. mundus and Eret. hayati are probably the most suitable candidates for biological control of whitefly associated with greenhouse crops in western Sydney.