Aphytis mytilaspidis

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Aphytis mytilaspidis is a tiny wasp in the Aphelinidae family. Adults feed on scale insects, while the larvae live as parasites on them.

Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Hymenoptera
- Family: Aphelinidae
- Genus: Aphytis
- Species: A. mytilaspidis

Distribution: This wasp is found in Europe, much of Asia, South Africa, North America, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. It was first recorded in New Zealand in 1935.

Appearance: The adult is about 2 mm long, yellowish-orange with transparent wings. It has two compound eyes and three simple eyes.

Hosts: It parasitizes many scale insects, including Asterolecanium pustulans, Asterolecanium variolosum, Chloropulvinaria psidii, and Pulvinaria psidii, as well as many armored scales in the Diaspididae family. In Serbia, it parasitizes Epidiaspis leperii on fruit trees.

Life cycle: Aphytis mytilaspidis is a solitary wasp. The female lays an unfertilized egg beside a scale insect using her ovipositor. The larva feeds on the scale, molts three times inside the scale, and becomes a prepupa. The adult then emerges through an oval hole in the scale. There are several generations each year, and the species overwinters as a larva. The female can lay 30–60 eggs in her lifetime. Males have not been observed; all adults are female.

Reproduction: Eggs are unfertilized, and the offspring are female. The species reproduces without fertilization, a form of parthenogenesis.

Biological control use: This wasp has been used to control scale pests in various places. It was introduced to Mauritius in 1983 to control Melanaspis glomerata on sugar cane but did not establish. In California, it helped control fig scale. In the Mediterranean and other regions, it is used against oystershell scale and other scales, such as pine needle scale and aspidistra scale.