Bemisia centroamericana, Martin, 2005

Martin, Jon H., 2005, Whiteflies of Belize (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Part 2 - a review of the subfamily Aleyrodinae Westwood, Zootaxa 1098 (1), pp. 1-116 : 33-36

Bemisia centroamericana sp. nov.

( Figs 24 , 109)

PUPARIUM. Habitus. Feeding puparia and earlier stages extremely cryptic when alive, appearing silvery when dried out or subsequent to emergence of adults. No waxy secretions evident. Margin. Outline ovoid, often very irregular owing to development amongst leaf pubescence, 0.75–0.92 mm long, 0.48–0.68 mm wide, generally widest at metathorax/ abdominal segment I when outline unmodified (n=20). Margin irregular, not toothed, sometimes modified at thoracic tracheal openings in form of a few irregular, rounded and thickened crenulations, more distinctly so modified at caudal tracheal opening. Overall puparial outline often heavily indented as body expands around leaf hairs. Dorsum. Entire dorsum punctuated by complex pattern or rather irregular short furrows/folds, these generally perpendicular to edge of puparium submarginally, but mostly running nearly concentric with curvature of puparial margin in subdorsum (Fig. 109), and in submedian area furrowing has no dominant direction; Pro–/meso­ and meso­/ metathoracic segmental divisions marked by longer furrows that cut across complex dorsal furrowing, and abdominal segmentation similarly marked submedially. Longitudinal moulting suture reaching puparial margin, but very faintly marked; transverse moulting sutures terminating in subdorsum, hardly discernible beyond puparial legs. Abdominal segment VII much reduced medially, only 7 segments readily recognisable, pockets only indicated by a pair of short thickenings on anterior edge of segment VIII. With single pairs of large, digitiform, seta­bearing processes as follows: cephalic subdorsal, anteriorprothoracic submedian, mesothoracic subdorsal, 1st abdominal submedian, 4th abdominal subdorsal; additionally with a similar, non­seta­bearing submedian pair on mesothorax (almost contiguous on each side of longitudinal moulting suture), and abdominal segments I–III or I–IV each with a single tubercle on median line, those on segments I & II most similar to the almost­median mesothoracic pair; less well defined tubercles variably present lateral to abdominal segmentation, in extreme inner subdorsum. Vasiform orifice elongate­triangular, its sides emarginate, a few folds leading mesad from internal walls of orifice, orifice inset from posterior puparial margin by at least its own length, with a narrow caudal furrow that widens to flank the orifice on both sides; operculum cordate, occupying less than half length of vasiform orifice; lingula head ovoid, finely spinulose, included within boundaries of vasiform orifice, bearing a pair of apical setae. Chaetotaxy. Anterior and posterior marginal setae present, hair­like, posterior pair slightly longer than anterior pair. Each digitiform seta­bearing process (see above) with a very stout seta, maximally 0.22 mm long in holotype; caudal setae similar but not borne on digitiform processes; 8th abdominal setae minute, located at anterior end of narrow furrow that borders vasiform orifice; 4 pairs of minute subdorsal setae present on each side of body, between abdominal segments V and VIII, and usually at least 4 pairs of similarly tiny setae present in cephalothoracic submargin, but resolving these setae is difficult and there do not appear to be such setal pairs present on anterior abdominal segments. Pores. Dorsum with scattered geminate pore/porettes with 2 on each side of submedian area of most segments and, particularly, 2 on each side between median tubercle and digitiform seta­bearing tubercle on abdominal segment I. Venter. Ventral abdominal setae underlying vasiform orifice, very fine and hair­like, a little longer than posterior marginal setae. Middle and hind legs sometimes each with a minute basal seta discernible. Antennal bases mesal to, and antennal length similar to, fore legs. Caudal and thoracic tracheal folds marked as bands of tiny spinules, spinule band of thoracic fold skirting middle legs.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Holotype puparium, BELIZE, CFR, Las Cuevas Research Station clearing, on Bocconia frutescens (Papaveraceae) , 13.ii.1996 (J.H.Martin #6653) ( BMNH). Paratypes: BELIZE (all CFR, Martin)—25 puparia, 2 third­instar larvae, same data as holotype ( BMNH); 68 puparia, 6 third­instar larvae, 14 adult males, 15 adult females, many dry puparia on leaves, same host and locality, 06.xi.1994, 02.xii.1994, ii.1995, 17.ii.1996 ( BMNH, USNM); many dry puparia, Puente Natural, on Bocconia frutescens , 09.vi.2002, 02.iv.2003; 11 puparia, 1 third­instar larva, 1?second­instar larva, Las Cuevas, on? Asteraceae , 24.iii.2003; 1 puparium, Monkey Tail track, on Asteraceae (possibly Lasianthaea sp. ), 22.vi.2002; 1 puparium, San Pastor track, on unidentified vine, 14.ii.1996 (all BMNH); EL SALVADOR —1 puparium (intercepted at Houston, Texas), on Origanum vulgare (Lamiaceae) , 30.xi.1993 (Johnson, 034556TX, 93­12850); HONDURAS —2 puparia, Tegucigalpa, on Poinsettia sp. (Euphorbiaceae) , 24.viii.1959 (Dysart H­2); MEXICO —2 puparia (intercepted at El Paso, Texas), on unknown plant, 15.iii.1977 (Vigil, 007538, 77­6623); 3 puparia, Empalme, Sonora (intercepted at Nogales, Arizona), on Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae) , 04.iv.1949 (Darnell, 68891, 49­5156); 2 puparia, Mexico D.F. (intercepted at San Antonio, Texas), on Ficus “coria” [? carica] ( Moraceae ), 27.vi.1956 (Wallis, 2212); 1 puparium, Mexico D.F. (intercepted at San Antonio, Texas), on “fig leaf” [ Ficus , Moraceae ], 27.vi.1956 (Wallis 2215, 56­7759); 2 puparia, Cadereyta (intercepted at Laredo, Texas, on unstated host, 18.xi.1957 (Watt, 58121, 57­17340) (all non­Belize paratypes in USNM).

Tentatively identified material, not given paratype status: 1 puparium, BELIZE, CFR, Monkey Tail track, on Manihot esculentus (Euphorbiaceae) , 01.iii.1996 (Martin) ( BMNH); USA, California, 1 puparium, Monterrey, on Serjania sp. (Sapindaceae) , no date (Q[uaintance] 8799) ( USNM); ex­MEXICO, 7 puparia (intercepted at El Paso, Texas), on Calocarpum sp. [= Pouteria , Sapotaceae ], 04.iii.1987 (Galvin, 030910, 87­3145); 7 puparia (intercepted at Los Angeles, California), on Hibiscus sp. (Malavaceae) , 01.iv.1978 (Waite, 21047, 78­4653) (all USNM).

ETYMOLOGY. This species is so named because all known material has been collected in, or been intercepted from, Central American countries.

COMMENTS. The robust, digitiform tubercles from which arise the similarly robust cephalic, anterior­prothoracic, mesothoracic, first abdominal and fourth abdominal subdorsal setal pairs, contrasting with the minute eighth abdominal setae, are the main characters that typify B. centroamericana . Although the great majority of examined specimens have been collected from Bocconia frutescens , the other specimens here designated as paratypes exhibit the same major characteristics. Given the propensity for species of Bemisia to exhibit puparial variation, it is to be expected that some variation will occur amongst populations of B. centroamericana : the material tentatively identified as B. centroamericana , listed above, varies in the degree of development of digitiform seta­bearing tubercles, but the nature of variation within this species is yet to be investigated.

Morphologically B. centroamericana clearly belongs to the broad group of B. afer (Priesner & Hosny) , as currently understood, its vasiform orifice with emarginate sides and inset from the posterior margin of the puparium by at least its own length, these vasiform orifice characteristics combined with the presence of two submedian geminate pore/porettes on each side of abdominal segment I, between the median tubercle and the first abdominal seta­bearing tubercle. In B. tabaci sensu lato the vasiform orifice is straight­sided and inset from margin by less than its own length, and only a single geminate pore/porette is present mesad of the first abdominal seta on each side of abdominal segment I.

Given the frequency with which B. centroamericana has been intercepted at US quarantine stations, hitherto always from Central American countries, and the number of host plants recorded, it appears likely that B. centroamericana will prove to be a common and widespread species, at least within the isthmus. To judge from the sparse populations observed on Bocconia in 2003, the very abundant populations encountered during earlier field visits to CFR may have been an unusual and periodic event because this species is almost certainly native.

A few specimens from Belize ( Bemisia sp. 1 , see Appendix 1) have more dorsal tubercles than in any specimens identified as B. centroamericana , but none are digitiform and the puparia bear few, or no, enlarged dorsal setae: their vasiform characteristics more closely match those of B. centroamericana and B. afer (Priesner & Hosny) than B. tuberculata (Bondar) .

Figures

FIGURE 24. Bemisia centroamericana sp. nov., puparium, dorsum (see Fig. 109 for photograph).