The type species of Aleurodicus Douglas, a whitefly genus of economic importance (Homoptera: Aleyrododae)

4 Pages·1997·1.1 MB·English

by  J H Martin

Memoirs ofthe Museum ofVictoria 56(I):125—128 (1997)
THE TYPE SPECIES OF ALEURODICUS DOUGLAS, A WHITEFLY GENUS
OF ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE (HOMOPTERA: ALEYRODIDAE)
J.H. Martin
Department ofEntomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road. London SW7 5BD. UK
Abstract
Martin, J.J., 1997. The type species ofAleurodicus Douglas, a whiteflv genus ofeconomic
importance(Homoptera:Aleyrodidae). MemoirsoftheMuseumofVictoria56(1): 125-128.
SlidespreparedfromtypespecimensofAleurodicuscocois(Curtis),heldintheMuseumof
Victoria,Australia, haveallowed theirmicroscopicexamination, possibly forthefirst time.
Alectotypeisdesignatedandanupdatedspeciesdiagnosisispresented. Itsstatusasthetype
species ofAleurodicus is confirmed through validation of its synonymy with A. anonae
Morgan.
Introduction —
Aleurodicus Douglas (in Morgan, 1892) is the NMV Museum ofVictoria, Abbotsford, Mel-
type genus of the mostly Neotropical whitefly bourne,—Vic. 3067, Australia
subfamily Aleurodicinae. It includes several USNM United States National Museum of
agricultural pest species, most notablyA disper- Natural History, Washington DC 20560, USA
susRussell (1965), apolyphagousandextremely
fecund species. This insect hasgained particular Aleurodicus cocois (Curtis)
notorietybyextendingitsnativeNewWorlddis-
tribution to encompass much of the Pacific, Figures 1-2
southern Asia and Africa over a period ofonly Aleyrodes cocois Curtis, 1846: 284-285. Lectotype
15-20years,arrivinginnorthernQueenslandby here designated
1995 (Martin, 1996). A fewAleurodicus species Aleurodicus anonae Morgan. 1892: 32 (Lectotype
are natives of southern Asia and the western designated andsynonvmisedwithA. cocoisbv Mound
gParcoiufpi,c;oAc.cadseisotnraulctloyrbMeaccokmiien(g19a1p2e)stisionnetroofpitchails anAdleHuarlosdeiyc,us19c7o8c:oi2s29()C.urtis) Morgan. 1892:32.
Australia. Typematerialexamined. LectotypepupariumofAtey-
As part ofa study ofeconomically important rodes cocois Curtis (here designated): Barbados, on
membersofthe Aleurodicinae in the Caribbean coconut tree [Cocos nucifera]. Sir R Schomburgk.
sHreeigysit(oon1r,9y7i8t)Mwuhasasedduimmsi,csotvaLekroeenndldyothncarte(dMiBotMeudNnHtdh)eanNaadstuHratalhl-e Jpleaucpntauoratiryayp,e128t4(h5iNrM(dNViM,nVst)a.rBMlPaaNrrvHaale.e,cBtaoUtrSybpaNcdMso)so.,fsA.aAmdceodciodtiaisto:ana1al2s
depositoryofsyntypic specimensofAleurodicus mslaitdeer),iaslevoefraAl.drcyocaoidsu:lts1 imnalreat.he1rfpeomoarlceonaddiutltion(oannd1
cocois(Curtis, 1846).A. cocoishasbeenregarded further puparia and third instar larvae on leaf frag-
as the type species ofAleurodicus through syn- ments, Barbados, same data as lectotype (all NMV).
onymy(seebelow)andthepurposeofthisinves- Lectotype and paralectotypeofAleurodicusanonae
tigation has been to locate and examine type Morgan: 2 puparia, Guyana, Demerara, on Annona
material in order to assess this status. A. cocois muricata, S.J.McIntire (Douglas collection 1236).
was described from coconut in Barbados but 1891 (BMNH).
material with the relevant data was absent from Diagnosis. Pupal case. Rather evenly oval out-
BMNH. However five slides from Demerara line, widest at abdominal segment II, usually
[Guyana] in BMNH, identifiedasA. cocois,bear 1.00-1.40 mm long, 0.70-1.00 mm wide. Sub-
red labels as if of type status. This Guyanese margin with a broad band of wide-rimmed
material may have mistakenly been used as the simple pores (terminology of Russell, 1965);
basis for proposing the synonymy ofA. anonae inner margin ofthis band is very characteristic,
Morgan with A. cocois (see Discussion, below). on meso- and meta-thorax almost straight and
Thus it was necessaryto locate and examine the parallel to longitudinal moulting suture (Fig.1).
true type material ofA. cocois in order to reap- but on abdomen curling around the large com-
praise this important s—ynonymy. pound pores(Figs 1, 2). Dorsal surfacemesad of
Depositories. BMNH The Natural History wide-rimmed pore band smooth, punctuated
Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK only by scattered septate pores (Fig. 2).
125
MAR
126 .1. II. I IN
9 09
O O CO
C'\-1
W.V©
8 o o Q„"Q»0'J
*
I igurcs 1.2. lU'wodicu.saKois, puparium (after Martin, 1987). I. whole puparium,dorsal detail to right ofline.
boundary ol submarginal ^n\c rimmed pore band shown asdashed line; 2, dorsal detail ofabdominal segments
ii in to show submarginal wide rimmed pores, scattered subdorsal septate pores and large compound pore in
lateral aspect.
WHITEFLY GENUS OF ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE 127
Cephalicand anteriormost 4pairsofabdominal type-species of Aleurodicus. bv Quaintance
compound pores usually 25-30 urn in diameter, (1908).
posteriormost 2 abdominal pairs no more than A. cocoisisdiscussed in several places in Mor-
12 urn (in all cases measured as thewidth ofthe gan's 1892 paper, and the coconut sample
cylinder when pores in lateral aspect). detailed in the Douglas diary is mentioned
Distribution andhostplants. Widely distributed twice, most particularly "Habitat: cocoa-nut
in New World tropics. Usually colonising coco- palm only. Demerara". However, the fact that
nut but host records from 14 plant families are Curtis had described. A cocois from Barbados is
quoted by Mound and Halsey (1978). Material nowhere mentioned, even though Morgan
in BMNH from hosts other than Palmae com- acknowledged Mclntire for providing him with
prises samples from Anacardiaceae, Annona- a copy ofCurtis'sdescriptive article, sections of
ceae and Lauraceae. which Morgan quoted. 1 believe that this has
been the sourceofmajorconfusion. Quaintance
A
(1908)quoted cocoisas"also[described] from
Demerara" (along with anonae), and yet he
Discussion
included Barbados in its distribution data.
Hornetal.(1990)indicatedthatthecollectionof Although no particular status is claimed on the
JohnCurtis(whopublishedentomological notes red labelsoftheBMNHslides, it is probablethai
in Gardener's Chronicle under the pseudonym Mound and Halsey.too,attributed unwarranted
"Ruricola") had been deposited largely in the significance to this Guyanese coconut material
Museum of Victoria, Melbourne. Ken Walker from the Douglas collection.
(pers. comm.) confirmed that the dry material
senttoCurtisfrom Barbadoswasindeed present Conclusions
in Melbourne, but that no slides appeared to From examination of the type material of A.
havebeen made. Thisdry material,thesyntypes
cocois and A. anonae the author concludes that
of Aleyroc/es cocois, was kindly loaned to the
faiinuetdBhotMrhN.atHSt,lhiediecdseonnwtsieifrdieeerdpaarbsleepA.anrcueomdcboweihsrisocvohefrshtpaheveceiyemvaeerrnsis,- Aool.afnbyeaAlmnlloeeodnufraBAoe.dMiiccNsoucHcsooirssrD,leoiwcudtheglislycaohsfp.Ali.asctScehpoduecsocaiitsshmeaferntjosyumpneiocosnorpceoscrnyieunedt-s-
are conspecific with the type material.
in Demerara, which had been sent by Mclntire
The red-labelled Guyanese specimens in
BMNH are also from coconut. They bear J W ttaoiDnloyugcloamspaanrdedfobrywaMrodredgatno Mwoitrhgaont,hewrerGeuycear--
Douglas's collection number 1246/27, and one
nese material he subsequently described as A.
slide bears the following note, in Laurence A. anonae: however, they have no type status nor
Mound's handwriting: "The specimens referred
WD particular significance taxonomically. having
—to in Morgan 1892 as from J ex-Demerara only been identified as A. cocois through com-
see Douglas diary". Consultation of Dou-
glas's diary (BMNH archive) reveals that batch parison with Curtis's written description.
1246 comprised a number of samples received
from Mr S J Mclntire in Demerara, 12 October Acknowledgements
1891. Sample 27 bears the note '"small fly and The assistance of Ken Walker (NMV), who
Hufffound on a cocoanut tree, alive when sent'. swiftly located the Curtis dry' material and
Aleurodes cocois, Curt, true and diff. from that kindly arranged for its loan to BMNH, is grate-
on Anona (sic), no.1236. Those sent alive in a fullyacknowledged.Theauthor'sthanksarealso
bottle, to Mr Morgan". extended to Doug Williams and Gillian Watson
Morgan's(1892). paperis confusingand ram- (CAB International Institute of Entomology),
bling but is ofgreat importance because it was forhelpful suggestions madeduringthis investi-
the vehicle for establishment ofthe genusAleu- gation.
rodicus, which contains several species ofgreat
economic significance. "Aleurodicus Douglas
n.g." was proposed in the middle of Morgan's References
pfaopotenro,tew,itinhitainalleexdt"rJeWmelDy".brIimemfeddiiaagtneolsyisunadsera Curticso.cJo.a-(ansut"RAulrcivcrooldae"s)),.G1a8r4d6e.nAelre'ysrCohdreosncioccloeis18(4t6h:e
thegenericheadingis Morgan'sown description 284-285.
ofhisnewspeciesAleurodicusanonae, although Horn.W., Kahle, I.. Friese,G.and Gaedike.R.. 1990.
this was only subsequently designated as the Collections F.nlomohfiicae. Berlin. 573 pp.
MARTIN
128 J. H.
Mackie, D.B., 1912. A new coconut pest. Philippine Morgan. A.C.F.. 1892. A new genus and species of
Agricultural Review 5: 142-143. Aleurodidae. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine
Martin. J.H., 1987. An identification guide to com- 28: 29-33.
mon whitefly pest species ofthe world. Tropical Mound, L.A. and Halsey, S.H., 1978. Whitefly ofthe
Pest Management 33(4): 298-322. world. Chichester. 340 pp.
Quaintance. A.L., 908. Homoptera, FamilyAleyrod-
1
Martin. J.H., 1996. Neotropical whitcflics ofthe sub- idae. InWytsman, P. [ed.]. GeneraInseetorum87:
family Aleurodicinae established in the western 1-11.
Palacarctic(Homoptera: Aleyrodidae).Journalof Russell, L.M., 1965. A new species of Aleurodicus
Natural History 30(12): 1849-1859. Douglas and two close relatives (Homoptera:
Aleyrodidae). Florida Entomologist 48: 47-55.