Psyllaephagus Ashmead 1900
Creators: name: Zuparko, Robert L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Encyrtidae
Psyllaephagus

description: Psyllaephagus Ashmead 1900
Hosts. Hemiptera: Aphalaridae, Psyllidae, Triozidae
bliteus Riek 1962: 722 Type. ANIC
Distribution. E (Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, Central Coastal area, southern California coastal and inland areas)
Host/habitat. Creiis costatus, Glycaspis brimblecombei, G. sp.
Remarks. This species was imported from Australia and released in California in a biocontrol program against Glycaspis brimblecombei on Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Myrtaceae) in 2000 and immediately established (Dahlsten et al. 2003; Daane et al. 2005). Further releases resulted in establishment throughout the Central Valley and coastal areas of central and southern California, with pest suppression more effective in the cooler, coastal areas (Dahlsten et al. 2008). It appears to be a very vagile species, as I have collected it in two sites that appear to have no Eucalyptus species in the immediate vicinity.
brachiatus Riek 1962: 726 [New state record](RLZC)
Type. ANIC
Distribution. E (Alameda, Contra Costa)
Host/habitat. Cardiaspina fiscella, Glycaspis sp.
Remarks. I collected a single male that appeared referable to this species, from low roadside vegetation near a Eucalyptus camaldulensis heavily infested with Glycaspis brimblecombei in Oakland in June 2015. A month later, I found a number of males on several tree species at the peak of Mt. Diablo, about 27 kilometers east of the Oakland site. This species was never intentionally imported into California and presumably was accidentally introduced along with the tree and the psyllid, which, if proved, would be a new host record. This species is known only from males, but I collected a series of undetermined females from the E. camaldulensis that I suspect are conspecific.
pachypsyllae (Howard 1885: 15) (Encyrtus)
Type. USNM
Distribution. N (Imperial, San Bernardino)
Host/habitat. Pachypsylla celtidisgemma, P. celtidisvesicula, P. venusta, Trioza beameri
parvus Riek 1962: 749
Type. ANIC
Distribution. E (Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego)
Host/habitat. Eucalyptolyma maideni, Spondyliaspis sp.
Remarks. This species had been imported from Australia in a biocontrol project against E. maideni, but before it was released it was found to have already been adventitiously established (Jones et al. 2011).
perplexus Riek 1962: 750
Type. ANIC
Distribution. E (Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego) Host/habitat. Cryptoneossa triangula, Eucalyptolyma sp. Remarks. Jones et al. (2011) reported this species (mistakenly as Psyllaephagus perplexans Cockerell) has established in California adventitiously.
pilosus Noyes 1988b: 105
Type. NZAC
Distribution. E (Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Monterey, Orange, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Sacramento, Sonoma, Ventura)
Host/habitat. Ctenarytaina eucalypti; NEW: C. spatulata (UCDC)
Remarks. Imported from New Zealand and Australia in a biocontrol program against Ctenarytaina eucalypti, this species was released in several sites in California in 1993, and immediately established (Dahlsten et al. 1998).
spp.
Remarks. In addition those species listed above, I have seen specimens that appear to represent an additional 15 morphospecies present in the state (CSCA, EMEC, RLZC, UCDC, UCFC, UCRC).
description: Published as part of Zuparko, Robert L., 2015, Annotated Checklist of California Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera), pp. 1-126 in Zootaxa 4017 (1) on pages 48-49, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4017.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/245475