Aleurothrixus floccosus (Maskell)

Bustillo, Alex, 2015, Part II. Pests, Compendium of Coffee Diseases and Pests, United States of America: The American Phytopathological Society, pp. 45-60 : 46

Aleurothrixus floccosus (Maskell) ( Hemiptera : Aleyrodidae )

is recognized by the abundant woolly mass deposited on the leaves. The adult A. floccosus is 1.5 mm long and re ­ sembles a very small moth, with a yellow body dusted with white waxen powder and narrow wings, revealing the abdomen. The eggs are pedunculate, oval, and laid in a circle or semicircle. The nymphal stage undergoes three instars. The nymph is sedentary with a flattened, nearly transparent body protected by a mass of waxy strands and has a slightly oval shape. Nymphs and adults feed on the sap of young foliage of coffee plants.

Damage

Direct damage results from the nymphs and adults sucking the sap. This damage is aggravated by the intensive development of sooty molds, which reduces the photosynthetic activity, and the affected leaves wilt and finally fall ( Fig. 82 ).

Population Management

Whiteflies have many natural enemies, such as the fungi Aschersonia aleyrodis Webber and Lecanicillium lecanii (Zimmerman) Zare & W. Gams and parasitoids of the genera Amitus, Eretmocerus , and Prospaltella . The use of insecticides to control A. floccosus reduces the natural enemy populations and increases pest populations.

Figures

Fig. 82. Aleurothrixus floccosus on leaves from Colombian coffee plantations. (Courtesy A. Bustillo, Cenicafé)