Trialeurodes asplenii (Maskell, 1890)

DISTRIBUTION. New Zealand.

HOST PLANTS. Aspleniaceae: Asplenium oblongifolium, Asplenium polyodon; Blechnaceae: Blechnum fluvitale; Dennstaedtiaceae: Paesia scaberula; Dicksoniaceae: Dicksonia squarrosa; Dryopteridaceae: Lastreopsis hispida, Polystichum vestitum; Gleicheniaceae: Sticherus cunninghamii; Hymenophyllaceae: Hymenophyllum demissum; Hymenophyllum sp.; Polypodiaceae: Microsorum pustulatum .

COMMENTS. T. asplenii has hitherto been the only named fern­feeding whitefly species in New Zealand. However, there have been about four different morphological forms observed amongst puparia (R. Henderson / N. Martin, personal communication), one of which exactly matches T. dicksoniae (q.v., below), and it is not certain whether this represents the same sort of intra­specific variation commonly seen in some other Trialeurodes species, such as T. vaporariorum or T. ricini . Certainly this species or species­group has a wide range of fern hosts in New Zealand.