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Silverleaf Whitefly

 

Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring -- Hemiptera:  Aleyrodidae

 

[Other Name = Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius)]

 

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       The silverleaf whitefly (or sometimes referred to as Bemisia tabaci strain B) invaded southern California's desert valleys in 1991.  Populations were so large that actual clouds of adults could be seen at times.  California produces about 90 percent of all the autumn and winter vegetables that are grown in the United States, but this pest continues to cause crop losses each year to California's agriculture.  Silverleaf whitefly populations are now established in California's southern deserts, mainly the Imperial, Palo Verde and Coachella valleys.  They also occur in the southern San Joaquin Valley, where the destruction is most severe on cotton.  Other states where the insect has been reported are Florida, Texas and Arizona.

 

       The native home of this whitefly is not definitely known, but it is suspected to be in the region around India.  Its invasion of the southeastern United States occurred about 1986 after which it spread with the movement of ornamental plants to other parts of the country.

 

       This whitefly has also been reported on over 500 plants worldwide.  Its hosts include melons, broccoli, cabbage, cotton, squash and a many ornamental plants as well as native plant species.  It damages plants by extracting plant nutrients, and this causes defoliation, stunting and low yields on crops.  A black sooty mold grows on leaves that are coated with a  honeydew that is produced by the flies.  The mold makes cotton processing difficult and vegetables must be washed, which adds to production cost.  Some plant physiological disorders may be present, including irregular ripening of tomatoes and a symptom in squash called silverleaf.  Some plant viruses are also vectored by the whiteflies.

 

REFERENCES:                                                                                                         FURTHER RELATED REFERENCES

 

Bellows, T. S. Jr., T. M. Perring, R. J. Gill & D. H. Headrick.  1994.  Description of a species of Bemisia (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae).  Annals of the Entomological Society of America 87:  195-206.

 

Brown, J. K., D. R. Frohlich & R. C. Rosell.  1995.  The sweetpotato or silverleaf whiteflies: biotypes of Bemisia tabaci or a species complex?  Annual Review of Entomology 40:  511-534.

 

Csizinszky, A. A.,  D. J. Schuster & J. B. Kring.  1997.  Evaluation of color mulches and oil sprays for yield and for the control of silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii (Bellows and Perring) on tomatoes.  Crop Protection 16:  475- 481.

 

Evans, G. A. & A. B. Hamon.  2002.  Whitefly taxonomic and ecological Web site: an on-line interactive catalog of the whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) of the world and their parasites and predators. http://www.fsca-dpi.org/homoptera_hemiptera/Whitefly/whitefly_catalog.htm (13 November 2002).

 

Gerling, D. (ed.).  1990.  Whiteflies: their Bionomics, Pest Status and Management.  Intercept, Ltd., Andover, UK.

 

Gerling, D. & R. T. Mayer (eds.).  1996.  Bemisia: 1995. Taxonomy, Biology, Damage, Control and Management.  Intercept, Ltd., Andover, U. K.

 

Hamon, A. B. & V. Salguero.  1987.  Bemisia tabaci, sweetpotato whitefly, in Florida (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae: Aleyrodinae). Entomology Circular 292, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry.

 

Liu, T-X  &  P. A. Stansly.  1999.  Searching and feeding behavior of Nephaspis oculatus and Delphastus catalinae (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), predators of Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae).  Environmental Entomology 28:  901-906.

 

Lopez-Avila, A.  1986.  Taxonomy and biology. pp. 3-11. In Cock, M.J.W. (ed.), Bemisia tabaci - A Literature Survey on the Cotton Whitefly with an Annotated Bibliography.  CAB International Institute of Biological Control, Ascot, U.K.

 

Maynard, D. N. &  D. J. Cantliffe.  1990.  Squash silverleaf and tomato ripening: new vegetable disorders in Florida.  Vegetable Crops Fact Sheet VC-37, IFAS, University of Florida.

 

McAuslane, H. J, F. A. Johnson,  D. L. Colvin  &  B. Sojack.  1995.  Influence of foliar pubescence on incidence and parasitism of Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) on soybean and peanut.  Environmental Entomology 24:  1135-1143.

 

Nyoike, T. W., O. E. Liburd & S. E. Webb.  2008.  Suppression of whiteflies, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), and incidence of curcurbit leaf crumple virus, a whitefly-transmitted virus of zucchini squash new to Florida, with mulches and imidacloprid.  Florida Entomologist 91:  460-465.

 

Tsai, J. H. & K. Wang.  1996.  Development and reproduction of Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) on five host plants.  Environmental Entomology 25:  810-816.

 

FURTHER RELATED REFERENCES:

 

Chiappini, E., S. V. Triapitzin & A. Donev.  1996.  Key to the Holarctic species of Anagrus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) with a review of the Nearctic and Palaearctic (other than European) species and descriptions of new taxa.  Journal of Natural History 30:  551-595.

 

Triapitzin, S. V.  1995a.  The identities of Anagrus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) egg parasitoid of the grape and blackberry leafhoppers (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) in California.  Pan-Pacific Entomol. 71 (4):  250-251.

 

Triapitzin, S. V.  1995b.  A review of the Australian species of Anagrus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae).  Russian Entomological Journal 4 (1-4):  105-108.

 

Triapitzin, S. V.  1997.  The genus Anagrus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in America south of the United States: a review.  Ceiba (Zamorano, Honduras) 38 (1):  1-12.

 

Triapitzin, S. V.  1998.  Anagrus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) egg parasitoids of Erythroneura spp. and other leafhoppers (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) in North American vineyards and orchards: a taxonomic review.  Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 124 (2):  77-112.

 

Triapitzin, S. V. & D. Strong.  1995.  A new Anagrus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), an egg parasitoid of Prokelisia spp. (Homoptera: Delphacidae).  Pan-Pacific Entomol. 71 (4):  199-203.

 

Triapitzin, S. V., R. F. Mizell,  J. L. Bossart & C. E. Carlton.  1998.  Egg parasitoids of Homalodisca coagulata (Homoptera: Cicadellidae).  Florida Entomologist 81 (2):  241-243.

 

Walker, G. P., N. Zareh, I. M. Bayoun & S. V. Triapitzin.  1997.  Introduction of western Asian egg parasitoids into California for biological control of beet leafhopper, Circulifer tenellus.  Pan-Pacific Entomologist 73 (4):  236-242.