Encarsia perplexa
| Encarsia perplexa | |
|---|---|
| Adult Encarsia perplexa with eggs and hatching nymphs of citrus blackfly parasite | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Aphelinidae |
| Subfamily: | Coccophaginae |
| Genus: | Encarsia |
| Species: | E. perplexa |
| Binomial name | |
| Encarsia perplexa Huang & Polaszek, 1998 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Encarsia opulenta | |
Encarsia perplexa is a tiny parasitic wasp, a parasitoid of the citrus blackfly, Aleurocanthus woglumi, which is a global pest of citrus trees. It was originally misidentified as Encarsia opulenta, but was recorded as a new species in 1998. It is a native of Asia but has been introduced to many other parts of the world as a means of controlling the citrus blackfly.