Silverleaf whitefly

Taxobox
name = Silverleaf whitefly

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image_width = 250px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Hemiptera
familia = Aleyrodidae
genus = "Bemisia"
species = "B. argentifolii"
binomial = "Bemisia argentifolii"
binomial_authority = Bellows and Perring

The silverleaf whitefly ("Bemisia argentifolii", formerly referred to as sweetpotato whitefly-strain B "Bemisia tabaci") is one of several whiteflies that are currently important agricultural pests. The silverleaf whitefly was first found in poinsettia crops in Florida in the mid-1980's. It was found to have moved on to tomatoes and other fruit and vegetable crops less than a year later. Within five years, the silverleaf whitefly had caused over $100 million in damage to the Texas and California agriculture industries.

The silverleaf whitefly attacks a multitude of agricultural plants, including squash, melons, cole crops, cucumber, eggplant, peanut, soybeans, cotton, and many ornamentals. In addition to inflicting typical whitefly-type damage on plants, this species can transmit plant viruses such as geminiviruses. The broad mite ("Polyphagotarsonemus latus") also uses the whitefly as a dispersal mechanism by clinging to the legs of the fly and dropping off at another plant. [cite journal | first = Yuqing | last = Fan | coauthors = Petitt, Frederick L. | year = 1998 | month = Jul | title = Dispersal of the broad mite, "Polyphagotarsonemus latus" (Acari: Tarsonemidae) on "Bemisia argentifolii" (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) | journal = Experimental & Applied Acarology | volume = 22 | issue = 7 | pages = 411–5 | doi = 10.1023/A:1006045911286 | url = http://www.springerlink.com/content/p62501x2382ph231/ | accessdate = 2007-02-21]

The adult silverleaf whitefly is about 1 millimeter in length and pale yellow in color.

This particular pest has been shown to be a good candidate for biological control, as it has several natural enemies, including parasitic wasps such as "Encarsia" and "Eretmocerus" spp.

References

External Links

* [http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/veg/leaf/silverleaf_whitefly.htm silverleaf whitefly] on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* [http://whiteflies.ifas.ufl.edu/wfly0002.htm? USDA Whitefly Knowledgebase]