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Horticulture/Bemesia argentifolii
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Silverleaf Whitefly Silverleaf whitefly.jpg Insect Bemesia argentifolii Aleyrodidae Hemiptera Simple
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.
Description
The adult silverleaf whitefly is about 1 millimeter in length and pale yellow in color.
Symptoms and Signs
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. Yuqing Fan Petitt, Frederick L. Jul 1998 Dispersal of the broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Acari: Tarsonemidae) on Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) Experimental & Applied Acarology 22 7 411–5 doi:10.1023/A:1006045911286 http://www.springerlink.com/content/p62501x2382ph231/ 2007-02-21
Ecology
Host plants
../Abelmoschus/ (Okra)
../Acacia/
../Amaranthus/
../Arachis/ (Peanut)
../Arum/
../Aster/
../Asystasia/
../Begonia/
../Brassica/
../Callistemon/ (Bottle Brush)
../Canna/
../Capsicum/
../Carica/ (Papaya)
../Centaurea/ (Bachelor’s Buttons)
../Chenopodium/
../Citrullus/
../Coccinia/ (Scarlet Gourds)
../Coleus/
../Colocasia/ (Taro)
../Convolvulus/
../Cucumis/
../Cucurbita/
../Dahlia/
../Dendranthema/
../Euphorbia/
../Ficus/
../Gerbera/
../Glycine/ (Soybean)
../Fuchsia/
../Gossypium/
../Hibiscus/
../Hydrangea/
../Impatiens/
../Ipomoea/
../Iris/
../Lactuca/ (Lettuce)
../Lagerstroemia/ (Crepe Myrtle)
../Lantana/
../Lycopersicon/
../Malva/
../Mandevilla/
../Medicago/
../Persea/ (Avocado)
../Petunia/
../Phaseolus/
../Physalis/ (Ground Cherry)
../Plumeria/
../Primula/
../Rosa/
../Solanum/
../Verbena/
../Viola/
Control
This particular pest has been shown to be a good candidate for biological pest control, as it has several natural enemies, including parasitic wasps such as Encarsia and Eretmocerus.
References
University of California Riverside
University of Hawaii
University of Florida