Amitus minervae Silvestri, a Potential Parasitoid of the Sugarcane Whitefly Aleurolobus barodensis Maskell

Two parasitoids Amitus minervae Silv. and Encarsia ochai Viggiani were found to occur on the sugarcane whitefly Aleurolobus barodensis Mask. A. minervae occurred naturally at Coimbatore causing maximum parasitization of the whitefly. Its multiplication rate was as high as 90 times. It killed a large proportion ofthe female pupae ofwhitefiy. Two to seven wasps developed from one pupa. It was also seen in Rajapalayam area of Tamil Nadu, Surat District of South Gujar at and Buldana area of Maharashtra. Distinguishing morphological and biological characters, habits and potential of A. minervae in biocontrol are discussed.