Capsicum Aleurotrachelus whitefly (168)

Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides - Online edition

Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides

Capsicum Aleurotrachelus whitefly (168)

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Photo 1. Adult Aleurotrachelus whitefly. Note the curly strands of wax.

Photo 2. Adult Aleurotrachelus whitefly and the circular egg mass characteristic of this insect.

Photo 3. Larvae of the Aleurotrachelus whitefly at an early stage.

Summary

Widespread distribution. South and Central America, Africa, Caribbean, Oceania. On plants in potato, brassica and cucurbit families. An important pest of capsicum and kava. Sucks plant sap; sooty moulds grow on honeydew.
Eggs laid in circles, nymphs are 'crawlers' at first then settle becoming oval, black, covered by curly strands of wax; adults, 2-3 mm, look like spiralling whiteflies. They produce 'honeydew' excretion.
Natural enemies: a minute wasp, Encarsia formosia, is widely used to control this whitefly.
Cultural control: Chemical control: soap, white or horticultural oils; note that most synthetic insecticides will kill natural enemies.

Common Name

Aleurotrachelus, Solanum whitefly or Capsicum whitefly.

Scientific Name

Aleurothrixus trachoides; previously, Aleurotrachekus trachoides.

Photo 4. Late stage larvae of Aleurotrachelus whitefly which are now black.

Photo 5. The late stage of the larvae are black. In this photograph an orange ring of the fungus Aschersonia aleyrodis is present.

Photo 6. Fungus, probably Aschersonia sp. growing on pupae of the whitefly, Aleurotrachelus trichoides. As it produces spores so it becomes orange.

Photo 7. Complete colonisation of the pupae of Aleurotrachelus trichoides on the underside of a kava leaf by the fungus, Aschersonia sp.

Photo 8. Magnified pupae of Aleurotrachelus trichoides showing that the fungus, Aschersonia sp., has formed a crust over them.

AUTHOR Grahame Jackson
Information from Kumar V et al. (2016) Aleurotrachelus trachoides Back. Featured Creatures, Entomology & Nematology. UF/IFAS, University of Florida. (http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/Aleurotrachelus_trachoides.htm); and CABI (2019). Aleurotrachelus trachoides. Crop Protection Compendium. (https://www.cabi.org/cpc/datasheet/4410); and Capsicum whitefly (2021) Business Queensland. Queensland Government. (https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/biosecurity/plants/priority-pest-disease/capsicum-whitefly); and from EPPO (2018) Mini data sheet on Aleurothrixus trachoides (Hemiuptera: Aleyrodidae). Photos 1-8 Konrad Engelberger, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.

Produced with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research under project PC/2010/090: Strengthening integrated crop management research in the Pacific Islands in support of sustainable intensification of high-value crop production, implemented by the University of Queensland and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

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