Cryptochetum iceryae | |
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Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Diptera |
Family: | Cryptochetidae |
Genus: | Cryptochetum |
Species: | C. iceryae
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Binomial name | |
Cryptochetum iceryae | |
Synonyms [2] | |
Cryptochetum iceryae, the cottony cushion scale parasite, is a species of scale parasite fly in the family Cryptochetidae. [2] [3] [4] [5] Originating in Australia, it was deliberately introduced to California in the 1880s in an attempt to control cottony cushion scale, [6] and has also been introduced to Israel and South America. [7] In 2019, the species was discovered in the United Kingdom for the first time, having been identified in the wildlife garden at the Natural History Museum. [7]