First record of Tachardiaephagus tachardiae (Howard, 1896) (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Encyrtidae) from an invasive Lac insect, Kerria destructor Talukder and Das, 2020 (Hemiptera, Kerriidae)

Abstract

An invasive species of Lac insect, Kerria destructor Talukder and Das, 2020 was described from West Bengal, India. Since then, there is no record of any natural enemies on the insect. Here, reporting an encyrtid parasitoid, Tachardiaephagus tachardiae (Howard, 1896) as natural enemy of the invasive lac insect. Annona squamosa and Peltophorum pterocarpum are reported as new host plants for this pest with its geographical extension in Andhra Pradesh. Intraspecific variation was noted in the number of anal ring setae of K. destructor.