Aleyrodidae

Spiraling whitefly Aleurodicus dispersus, copyright Sam Fraser-Smith.

Belongs within: Sternorrhyncha.
Contains: Aleyrodinae.

The Aleyrodidae, whiteflies, are small plant-sucking bugs with immobile nymphs, some species of which are notorious crop pests. Adults are soft-bodied with reduced wing venation and are usually covered with a white, waxy powder (Carver et al. 1991).

Characters (from Grimaldi & Engel 2005): Adults usually covered with a mealy, flocculent wax, secreted by pairs of large glands on several abdominal sternites, spread over body using combs of hairs on hind legs. Antennae reduced to six or fewer segments; rostrum with four segments, segment two telescoping into segment one. Wing venation extremely reduced. First instar mobile; subsequent instars sedentary, with atrophied appendages; vasiform orifice present at tip of abdomen for expelling honeydew: anus opening into deep median fold in tergite eight, with lingula flicking away droplets forming therein; quiescent prepupal and pupal instars present prior to adulthood.

<==Aleyrodidae [Aleurodidae, Aleyrodina, Aleyrodoidea, Aleyrodomorpha, Scytinelytra]
    |--Heidea Schlee 1970 GE05, P92
    |    `--H. cretacica GE05
    |--Bernaea Schlee 1970 P92 [Bernaeidae, Bernaeinae GE05]
    |    `--B. neocomica GE05
    `--+--Siphonaleyrodinae S35
       |--Aleyrodinae S35
       |--Udamoselinae WEE70
       |    |--Udamoselis Enderlein 1909 S35
       |    `--Synaleurodicus Solomon 1935 WEE70, S35
       |         `--*S. hakeae Solomon 1935 S35
       `--Aleurodicinae S35
            |--Radialeurodicus Bondar 1923 S35
            `--Aleurodicus S35
                 |--A. antillensis SEH96
                 |--A. destructor CGW91 [incl. Aleyrodes albofloccosa (Froggatt 1918) WEE70, S35]
                 |--A. dispersus ZS10
                 |--A. dugesii Cockerell 1896 ZR96
                 `--A. holmesii (Maskell 1896) [=Aleurodes holmesii] K08

Aleyrodidae incertae sedis:
  Dialeurodes S35
    |--D. chittendeni SEH96
    |--D. citri S35
    |--D. citrifolii SEH96
    |--D. kirkaldyi CGW91
    `--D. pallidus G01
  Trialeurodes S35
    |--T. abutiloneus SEH96
    |--T. ferrnaldi SEH96
    |--T. floridensis SEH96
    |--T. packardi SEH96
    |--T. ricini SEH96
    |--T. vaporariorum S35
    `--T. variabilis SEH96
  Parabemisia myricae MHG04
  Aleuronympha K-P91
  Aleuroclava eucalypti CGW91
  Orchamoplatus citri CGW91
  Pealius LS96
    |--P. azaleae CGW91
    `--P. kelloggi LS96
  Aleurothrixus SEH96
    |--A. aepim M99
    |--A. floccosus [incl. A. howardi] SEH96
    |--A. porteri SEH96
    `--A. socialis M99
  Aleuroplatus SEH96
    |--A. coronata SEH96
    |--A. elemerae SEH96
    |--A. gelatinosus SEH96
    `--A. liquidambaris SEH96
  Aleuroglandulus malangae SEH96
  Crenidorsum SEH96
  Acaudaleyrodes citri SEH96
  Asterobemisia SEH96
    |--A. carpini SEH96
    `--A. paveli SEH96
  Bulgarialeurodes cotesii SEH96
  Siphoninus SEH96
    |--S. immaculatus SEH96
    `--S. phillyreae SEH96
  Aleurocybotus SEH96
    |--A. indicus SEH96
    `--A. occiduus SEH96
  Paraleyrodes SEH96
    |--P. naranjae SEH96
    `--P. perseae SEH96

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[CGW91] Carver, M., G. F. Gross & T. E. Woodward. 1991. Hemiptera (bugs, leafhoppers, cicadas, aphids, scale insects etc.) In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers vol. 1 pp. 429–509. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[GE05] Grimaldi, D., & M. S. Engel. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press: New York.

[G01] Gupta, S. K. 2001. A conspectus of natural enemies of phytophagous mites and mites as potential biocontrol agents of agricultural pests in India. In: Halliday, R. B., D. E. Walter, H. C. Proctor, R. A. Norton & M. J. Colloff (eds) Acarology: Proceedings of the 10^th International Congress pp. 484–497. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.

[K08] Kirkaldy, G. W. 1908. A catalogue of the Hemiptera of Fiji. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 33: 345–391, pl. 4.

[K-P91] Kukalová-Peck, J. 1991. Fossil history and the evolution of hexapod structures. In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers vol. 1 pp. 141–179. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[LS96] Liu, T.-X., & P. A. Stansly. 1996. Morphology of Nephaspis oculatus and Delphastus pusillus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), predators of Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 98 (2): 292–300.

[MHG04] Maynard, G. V., J. G. Hamilton & J. F. Grimshaw. 2004. Quarantine—phytosanitary, sanitary and incursion management: an Australian entomological perspective. Australian Journal of Entomology 43 (3): 318–328.

[M99] Moraes, G. J. de. 1999. Pest status of the cassava green mite in Brazil and strategies for its control. In: Needham, G. R., R. Mitchell, D. J. Horn & W. C. Welbourn (eds) Acarology IX vol. 2. Symposia pp. 287–291. Ohio Biological Survey: Columbus (Ohio).

[P92] Poinar, G. O., Jr. 1992. Life in Amber. Stanford University Press: Stanford.

[SEH96] Schauff, M. E., G. A. Evans & J. M. Heraty. 1996. A pictorial guide to the species of Encarsia (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) parasitic on whiteflies (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in North America. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 98 (1): 1–35.

[S35] Solomon, M. E. 1935. On a new genus and two new species of Western Australian Aleyrodidae. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 21: 75–91.

[WEE70] Woodward, T. E., J. W. Evans & V. F. Eastop. 1970. Hemiptera (bugs, leafhoppers, etc.) In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers pp. 387–457. Melbourne University Press.

[ZS10] Zborowski, P., & R. Storey. 2010. A Field Guide to Insects in Australia 3^rd ed. Reed New Holland: Sydney.

[ZR96] Zolnerowich, G., & M. Rose. 1996. A new species of Entedononecremnus (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae) parasitic on the giant whitefly, Aleurodicus dugesii Cockerell (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 98 (2): 369–373.

Last updated: 2 April 2022.