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Parasitoid wasp Wallaceaphytis kikiae, LM. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection.
Differential interference contrast (DIC) micrograph of a minute parasitoid wasp, Wallaceaphytis kikiae, viewed from above. It belongs to the family Aphelinidae, one of the most effective groups of biological pest control agents. Its close relatives in the genus Aphytis successfully control populations of scale insects (sap-sucking agricultural pests), which attack oranges and other citrus fruits around the world. The female wasps lay their eggs in the scale insects which are then killed by the wasp larvae. Adult wasps also feed directly on scale insects. Length of wasp is 0.75 mm. The genus name of Wallaceaphytis is formed from the family name of Alfred Russel Wallace plus the closely related genus Aphytis. The wasp is from Borneo where Wallace was active during his co-discovery of the theory of evolution by natural selection with Charles Darwin. DIC is also known as Nomarski illumination, after its inventor, George Nomarski. Light microscopy 2014