First record of the solanum whitefly Aleurothrixus trachoides (Back, 1912) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) from Kenya

Roy J. Canty

doi:10.18476/2024.747949

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30 June 2024 First record of the solanum whitefly Aleurothrixus trachoides (Back, 1912) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) from Kenya

Roy J. Canty

Author Affiliations +

Integrative Systematics: Stuttgart Contributions to Natural History, 7(1):133-135 (2024). https://doi.org/10.18476/2024.747949

Abstract

The solanum whitefly Aleurothrixus trachoides (Back, 1912) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a pest of economic importance, is newly recorded from Kenya, collected on Capsicum annuum. A description and images are included along with known host plants, to aid in the identification of this species. Also included are information and comments regarding the species' status as an economically important pest.

Der Nachtschatten-Mottenschildlaus oder Weißen Fliege Aleurothrixus trachoides (Back, 1912) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), eines wirtschaftlich bedeutenden Schädlings, wird erstmals für Kenia berichtet. Diese wurde auf Capsicum annuum gesammelt. Eine Beschreibung und Bilder sind zusammen mit bekannten Wirtspflanzen enthalten, um die Identifizierung dieser Art zu erleichtern. Außerdem sind Informationen und Kommentare zum Status der Art als wirtschaftlich wichtiger Schädling enthalten.

The solanum whitefly Aleurothrixus trachoides (Back, 1912) was originally described from Cuba, and has spread to Gambia (albeit unconfirmed), Mozambique, Nigeria, and La Réunion in Africa as a pest (Eppo 2018). It is here recorded from Kenya for the first time and is the second species of Aleurothrixus Quaintance & Baker, 1914 recorded from Kenya, adding to the 39 species of Aleyrodidae currently recorded there (Gbif 2024). Of these, 17 are pest species (Cabi 2024), including the major cassava pests Aleurodicus dispersus Russel, 1965, Bemisia afer (Priesner & Hosny, 1934), Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius, 1889), and Paraleyrodes bondari (Peracchi, 1971) (Munguti et al. 2021), as well as other significant pests such as Aleurocanthus spiniferus (Quaintance, 1903), Aleurocanthus woglumi Ashby, 1915, Aleurodicus dispersus Russell, 1965, Aleurothrixus floccosus (Maskell, 1895), Aleyrodes proletella (Linnaeus, 1758), and Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood, 1856 (Cabi 2024).

Aleurothrixus trachoides (Back, 1912)

Aleyrodes trachoides Back, 1912: 151–153.

Aleurotrachelus trachoides (Back, 1912): Quaintance & Baker (1914: 103).

Aleurothrixus trachoides (Back, 1912): Dubey & Sundararaj (2015: 23–28).

Material examined. Kenya: Kwale, Ramisi, Kiliani, “Farm 2”, on Capsicum annuum (chili pepper), 14.II.2020, 4.41072°S 39.38366°E, 140 m, A. POLASZEK (Natural History Museum, London, UK). Material deposited in the Natural History Museum, London, UK.

Distribution (EPPO 2018). Africa: Gambia (unconfirmed; UK interception on sweet potato imported from Gambia), Mozambique, Nigeria, La Réunion. Asia: India (Karnataka). North America: Mexico, USA (California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Texas). Central America and Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Netherlands Antilles (Curaçao), Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Virgin Islands (US). South America: Brazil (Bahia, Rio de Janeiro), Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador (Galapagos), French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela. Oceania: Fiji, French Polynesia (Rangiroa, Tahiti), Guam, Micronesia (Kosrae Island), Nauru (unconfirmed), Tonga (unconfirmed).

Host plants (Evans 2007; Avery et al. 2020; Ipni 2023): Annonaceae: Annona muricata L., Annona reticulata L.; Apiaceae: Apium graveolens L.; Apocynaceae: Tabernaemontana divaricata (L.) R.Br. ex Roem. & Schult; Araceae: Syngonium podophyllum Schott, Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott; Arecaceae: Chamaedorea elegans Mart., Chamaedorea Willd. sp., Cocos nucifera L., Dypsis lutescens (Wendland) Beentje & Dransfield (= Chrysalidocarpus lutescens), Veitchia merrillii Becc. (= Adonidia merrillii); Asteraceae: Bidens pilosa L., Mikania cordifolia (L.f.) Willd.; Bignoniaceae: Tabebuia glomerata (= Handroanthus capitatus) Urb., Tabebuia pallida (Lindl.) Miers; Boraginaceae: Cordia collococca (= Bourreria succulenta) L.; Caesalpiniaceae: Bauhinia divaricata L.; Cannaceae: Canna coccinea Mill. (= Canna indica); Capparaceae: Cleome L. sp.; Casuarinaceae: Casuarina L. sp.; Chrysobalanaceae: Licania michauxii Prance (= Geobalanus oblongifolius); Clusiaceae: Calophyllum antillanum Britton (= Calophyllum brasiliense var. antillanum), Hypericum hypericoides (L.) Crantz; Convolvulaceae: Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.; Ipomoea L. sp., Merremia Dennst. ex Endl. sp.; Dioscoreaceae: Dioscorea L. sp.; Fabaceae: Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC.; Lamiaceae: Tectona grandis L.f.; Lauraceae: Persea americana Mill.; Malvaceae: Hibiscus elatus Sw. (= Hibiscus tiliaceus subsp. tiliaceus); Melastomataceae: Miconia magnifolia Gamba & Almeda; Mimosaceae: Leucaena Benth. sp.; Moraceae: Ficus membranacea C. Wright, Ficus retusa L.; Myrsinaceae: Ardisia escallonioides Schltdl. & Cham.; Myrtaceae: Psidium guajava L.; Phytolaccaceae: Petiveria alliacea L.; Polygonaceae: Coccoloba uvifera (L.) L.; Rosaceae: Rosa L. sp.; Rubiaceae: Morinda citrifolia L., Psychotria nervosa Sw., Randia aculeata L.; Rutaceae: Citrus x limon (L.) Osbeck; Sapotaceae: Pouteria sapota (Jacq.) H. E. Moore & Stearn; Solanaceae: Capsicum annuum L., Capsicum frutescens L., Capsicum L. sp., Cestrum nocturnum L., Datura stramonium L., Lycopersicon esculentum L. (= Solanum lycopersicum), Lycopersicon L. sp. (= Solanum L. sp.), Nicotiana L. sp., Nicotiana tabacum L., Solanum melongena L., Solanum nigrum L., Solanum seaforthianum Andrews, Solanum sp., Solanum torvum Sw. (= Solanum stramoniifolium var. stramoniifolium); Sterculiaceae: Theobroma cacao L.; Verbenaceae: Citharexylum L. sp., Duranta erecta L.

Predators (Kumar et al. 2016; Ahmed et al. 2017; Avery et al. 2020): Insecta: Coccinellidae: Axinoscymnus puttarudriahi Kapur & Munshi, 1965, Delphastus pallidus (LeConte, 1878), Delphastus catalinae (Horn, 1895); Aphelinidae: Encarsia brasiliensis Hempel, 1904, Encarsia cubensis Gahan, 1931, Encarsia formosa Gahan, 1924, Encarsia nigricephala Dozier, 1937, Encarsia pergandiella Howard, 1907, Encarsia tabacivora Viggiani, 1985, Eretmocerus gracilis Rose, 2001. Fungi: Cordycipitaceae: Cordyceps fumosorosea (Wize) Kepler, B. Shrestha & Spatafora.

Aleurothrixus trachoides was originally described from Cuba (Neotropical Region) by Back (1912), and has spread to North America, Oceania, Asia, and Africa as a pest (Eppo 2018). It is a polyphagous pest of economic importance, predominantly feeding on plants belonging to the families Solanaceae and Convolvulaceae, causing damage by direct feeding, promoting sooty mould growth through honeydew excretion, and through transmission of the Duranta leaf curl virus (DLCV) (Chandrashekar et al. 2020). Therefore, this is a species for the Kenyan authorities to be alerted to and monitor for the safeguard of crops.

Martin (2005) recognised the following puparial characteristics for the genus Aleurothrixus: dorsal disc almost completely separated from wide submarginal area by an often complex, sometimes disjunct fold; cephalic setal pair absent, but metathoracic, eighth abdominal, and caudal sub-mesial setal pairs present, often long and fine; puparial submargin with seven pairs of spine-like and often minute setae in the cephalothoracic and anterior abdominal regions; vasiform orifice at least as wide as long, often transversely elliptical, sometimes elevated and usually fully occupied by the operculum; puparial margin with coarse teeth, each with a basal gland, giving the appearance of a double row of teeth; marginal teeth not or only very slightly modified at the caudal and thoracic tracheal openings.

The following species description, modified from Dubey & Sundararaj (2015), and photographs are to aid identification of the puparium of this species:

Puparium black in life, elliptical, with a fringe of white wax encircling the margin. Puparium tapered at the anterior and posterior ends and broadest at abdominal segments I & II region. Margin crenulate, with 6–8 crenulations per 0.1 mm.

Dorsum (Fig. 1A): submargin with 35–39 pairs of bands of minute tubercles. Cephalothorax elevated along the mesial plane. Longitudinal moulting suture extending to margin. Transverse moulting suture extending to outer sub-median area and anteriorly produced in the middle. Mesial length of cephalothorax equal to mesial length from base of first abdominal segment to base of vasiform orifice (VO). Mesial length of metathorax slightly shorter than mesothorax. Mesial length of abdominal segment VI twice the length of abdominal segment VII. Sub-mesial pockets clearly visible. Abdominal segments rachisshaped; segment sutures terminating in a sub-mesial, longitudinal fold.

Vasiform orifice (Fig. 1B): subcordate to subcircular in shape; approximately 1.13 times as wide as long. Operculum subcordate in shape, occupying majority of VO. Lin-gula spatulate, with tip visible, overlapping posterior end of VO but often hidden under dorsal surface of puparium. Apex of lingula bilobed, with pair of sub-apical setae.

Fig. 1.

Aleurothrixus trachoides (Back, 1912), puparium. A. Dorsal habitus. B. Vasiform orifice.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Dr. Andrew Polaszek (Natural History Museum, London, UK) for collecting and providing the material for identification; Dr. Dominic Wanke (State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Germany) for creating the figure plate; and the reviewers for taking time to review this article.

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Citation Download Citation

Roy J. Canty "First record of the solanum whitefly Aleurothrixus trachoides (Back, 1912) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) from Kenya," Integrative Systematics: Stuttgart Contributions to Natural History 7(1), 133-135, (30 June 2024). https://doi.org/10.18476/2024.747949

Received: 25 January 2023; Accepted: 13 June 2024; Published: 30 June 2024

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