Aleurocanthus, Quaintance & Baker

Martin, Jon H., 2005, Whiteflies of Belize (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Part 2 - a review of the subfamily Aleyrodinae Westwood, Zootaxa 1098 (1), pp. 1-116 : 8

ALEUROCANTHUS Quaintance & Baker

Aleurocanthus Quaintance & Baker, 1914: 102 . Type species Aleurodes spinifera Quaintance, 1903: 63–64 , by original designation.

DIAGNOSIS AND COMMENTS. As interpreted here, Aleurocanthus comprises species with the following combination of characters: puparia are usually dark, often with rather sparse marginal wax secretion; exuviae of earlier instars often remain attached, in a stack above the puparium; margin regularly toothed, not deflexed; dorsum bearing stout glandular spines, usually with both a submarginal row and a dorsal disc array ( Figs 39–40 ) [these spines not to be confused with robust setae as shown in fig. 41]; sometimes with drops of secreted fluid present at the spine apices; cephalic, eighth abdominal and caudal setae present; first abdominal setae present but usually thickened, sometimes similar to glandular spines; operculum usually obscures lingula; often dimorphic, with male puparia much smaller than those of females.

Aleurocanthus is a palaeotropical genus, currently including over 70 described species. Only one species, A. woglumi Ashby occurs in Belize. Martin (1985) placed A. husaini Corbett (1939) as a junior synonym of A. woglumi , based upon descriptive data. However, puparial specimens examined subsequently have revealed this synonymy to be erroneous, and A. husaini is here considered to be a valid species (stat. rev.).

Figures

FIGURES 35–40. 35–37, Aleuroglandulus subtilis Bondar, puparium (see Fig. 89 for photograph). 35–36, specimen from Colocasia ex­Costa Rica [A. malangae Russell sensu Russell, 1944]; 37, puparium (after Russell, 1944). 38, Aleurocerus sp., puparium, transverse­ovoid vasiform orifice located on vertically­directed bifid process (see Figs 83–85 for photographs). 39–40, Aleurocanthus woglumi Ashby, puparium (see Fig. 82 for photograph), 39 drawn from specimen, 40 stylised.