LAUSR

Parasitised nymphs of Diaphorina communis, a host of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’, were observed on Bergera koenigii in the Wangdue Phodrang Dzongkhag, Bhutan, and parasitised nymphs of Diaphorina citri were found on Murraya paniculata in the Chukhha Dzongkhag. The nymphs of both hosts were collected along with leaf tissue and placed individually in gelatine capsules. Emerging parasitoids were preserved in ethanol and used either for DNA extraction or morphological examination. Molecular and phylogenetic analyses of the sequence data of the COI, ITS1 and ITS2 regions showed that the parasitoids from the two hosts belonged to two different clades. Morphological examination confirmed that the parasitoids belong to two separate species of Tamarixia, and that the parasitoid from Diaphorina communis is a new species. This is the first record of an ectoparasitoid of Diaphorina communis, and the parasitoid has been named Tamarixia drukyulensis sp. n. The molecular and phylogenetic studies also suggest the occurrence of a eulophid parasitoid or hyperparasitoid of Diaphorina communis belonging to the genus, Aprostocetus.