First report of Paraleyrodes minei in Italy
The presence of a new whitefly, Paraleyrodes minei (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), has recently been reported in Italy (Jesu ; Iaccarino, 2011; NPPO, 2011). At the end of 2010, P. minei was found in the ‘Parco Gussone’, the garden of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Napoli ‘Federico II’ at Portici (Campania region), on the foliage of citrus trees (Citrus aurantium). P. minei lives on the underside of the leaves, feeding on plant sap. Very often, it occurs together with other citrus whitefly species (in particular with Aleurothrixus floccosus) which may complicate its detection and identification. A particularity of P. minei is that females form circular waxy secretions (nests) under which they lay eggs in circles. For the moment, the damage potential of this species on citrus in Italy remains to be studied. Investigations are being carried out to determine its distribution and define appropriate phytosanitary measures to be taken against it.
P. minei was first described in 1989 on Citrus aurantium leaves collected from the coastal region of Syria. In the Mediterranean Basin, P. minei has been reported in several countries on citrus. However, it is considered that this species originates from the Americas where it is polyphagous (Anonaceae, Apocynaceae, Araceae, Arecaceae, Asteraceae, Ericaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae, Piperaceae, Polygonaceae, Rhizophoraceae, Rubiaceae and Rutaceae). In particular, P. minei is is known to attack avocado (Persea americana), coconut (Cocos nucifera), guava (Psidium guajava), and ornamental plant species (e.g. Anthurium, Chamaedorea, Syngonium). A tentative distribution distribution is as follows:
EPPO region: Italy, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal (including Azores and Madeira), Spain, Turkey.
Africa: Benin, Morocco.
Asia: China (Hong Kong), Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Syria.
North America: Mexico, USA (California, Florida, Hawaii).
Central American and the Caribbean: Belize, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras.
South America: Colombia, Puerto Rico.
Pictures of the insect can be viewed on the Internet:
http://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/insectarium/Paraleyrodes-minei-Iaccarino-1990-cat13585.html
http://www.freshfromflorida.com/pi/enpp/ento/minei.html
http://old.iita.org/medialib/displayimage.php?album=86;pos=29
Sources
Iaccarino FM, Jesu R, Giacometti R (2011) Paraleyrodes minei Iaccarino 1990 (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), new species for Italy, on Citrus aurantium L., 1758. Journal of Entomological and Acarological Research 43(1), 1-6.
Jesu R, Iaccarino FM (2011) Paraleyrodes minei nuovo aleirode degli agrumi. L’Informatore Agrario no. 23, p 65.
NPPO of Italy (2011-07).
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