LAUSR

Abstract. The Mexican state of Veracruz is renowned for biological diversity based on limited studies in the ecoregion. Fifteen species of Encarsia Förster are reported to occur on numerous hosts. Our objective was to intensively survey the Encarsia genus in the northern part of the state to detect new and previously unreported species that might be present, along with their hosts. Whitefly nymphs from a wide range of hosts were collected at Tampico el Alto and Ciudad Cuauhtémoc during 2013 and 2014. Six species of Encarsia not reported for the State of Veracruz, Mexico were identified and recorded: E. andrewi Myartseva & Coronado Blanco, E. nigricephala Dozier, E. pergandiella Howard, E. Sophia (Girault & Dodd), E. tapachula Myartseva, and E. trialeurodis Myartseva, parasitizing: Aleurodicus sp., Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), Tetraleurodes acacia Quaintance, T. vaporariorum (Westwood), Aleuropleurocelus sp., and Aleurotrachelus sp., respectively. The six species of Encarsia are new records for the State of Veracruz, increasing to 21 the number of species known. In addition, six new Aleyrodidae hosts were recorded for Encarsia species. The Aleyrodid complex includes many agricultural pests, and these findings will aid scientific understanding of tritrophic interactions in nature and agriculture.