A preliminary report on the World species of Bemisia Quaintance and Baker and its congeners (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) with a comparative analysis of morphological variation and its role in the recognition of species

Authors

Raymond Gill, California Department of Food and AgricultureFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

3-23-2012

Comments

Insecta Mundi 0219: 1-99

Published in 2012 by Center for Systematic Entomology, Inc. P. O. Box 141874 Gainesville, FL 32614-1874 U. S. A. http://www.centerforsystematicentomology.org/

Abstract

Extreme economic effects globally of various populations of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) led to an in depth study of the morphology of that species as well as that of numerous other species of whiteflies in the genus Bemisia Quaintance and Baker and other similar appearing species. The data collected are presented here as illustrations of the puparia (fourth instar nymphal stages) and discussions of morphology as it relates to species and generic separations within this closely knit group of insects. A brief history of the pest outbreaks of B. tabaci is given and an overview of the important morphological characteristics of aleyrodine whiteflies is provided. Each of the eighty illustrations is accompanied by a discussion of the more important aspects of morphology and how it relates to other populations or species with similar structure and characteristics.