New wasp species discovered in England


The parasitic wasp Encarsia aleurochitonis

From the Natural History Museum in London, England:

A new species of parasitoid wasp that feeds on the common whitefly pest has been discovered in the UK by a Natural History Museum scientist.

Museum wasp expert Dr Andrew Polaszek found the tiny 1-mm-long insect, Encarsia aleurochitonis, near his home in Kent and spotted it after it hatched from its host, an adult whitefly.

Although known in mainland Europe, this is the first time the wasp has been recorded in the UK. However, it is probably native to the UK and has just been missed due to its tiny size.

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