The rugose spiralling whitefly (RSW) Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin is an invasive pest of coconut in India. The behavioural response of its parasitoid Encarsia guadeloupae Viggiani (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) on healthy and RSW infested host plants of coconut, banana, sapota and guava has been assessed in this study using a six arm olfactometer. Parasitoids’ attraction was maximum with the infested banana leaves (1.62± 0.28) followed by coconut (1.28± 0.20), guava (1.05± 0.24) and sapota (0.82± 0.24). The results obtained also reveal that E. guadeloupae can be mass reared on banana plants infested with RSW nymphs to enable better mass production of the parasitoid.
Aleurodicus rugioperculatus, Encarsia guadeloupae, Behavioural response, Infested, Healthy leaves, Coconut, Banana, Sapota, Guava, Host: parasitoid ratios, Parasitisation potential
