Parabemisia myricae (Kuwana), 1952

Hernández-Suárez, Estrella, Martin, Jon H., Gill, Raymond J., Bedford, Ian D., Malumphy, Christopher P., Betancort, J. Alfredo Reyes & Carnero, Aurelio, 2012, 3212, Zootaxa 3212, pp. 1-76 : 27

Parabemisia myricae (Kuwana)

( Figures 33 & 82)

Bemisia myricae Kuwana, 1927: 249–251 .

Parabemisia myricae (Kuwana) Takahashi, 1952: 24 .

Distribution in the Canary Islands: TENERIFE: Valle Guerra. GRAN CANARIA: Arucas. Elsewhere: Palaeartic Region: Crete, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Japan; Ethiopian Region: Ivory Coast; Oriental Region: Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan; Autro-Oriental Region: Malay Peninsula; Pacific Region: Hawaii; Neotropical Region: Mexico, Trinidad; Neartic Region: USA ( California , Florida).

Host plants in the Canary Islands: Citrus sinensis . Other host plant listed: P.myricae has been listed from hosts in 14 plant families by Mound & Halsey (1978), but favoured hosts are Citrus spp. and Persea americana , especially in the Mediterranean basin ( Martin et al., 2000)

Comments: Commonly called the “Japanese bayberry whitefly”, P. myricae is a notable pest of subtropical plants, especially citrus crops and avocado, and was introduced into several countries in the Mediterranean Basin (Bink- Moenen & Gerling, 1990). It was first discovered in mainland Spain in 1990, in the citrus areas of Málaga ( Garrido, 1994). It was recorded for the first time in the Canary Islands in 1997 by the local inspection services ( Anonymous, 1997). This whitefly species is sometimes responsible for serious crop damage when it first arrives in a new geographical area, but usually soon settles into the background as natural controls become established. Pupal cases are colourless and cryptic, and are very difficult to see if not in high numbers. In the field, the eggs are laid on the leaf border, each producing a characteristic protuberance. Individuals of P. myricae excrete large quantities of honeydew but do not secrete visible waxy material ( Fig. 82).