Abstract
Siphoninus phillyreae (Ash Whitefly) belongs to class Insecta, family Aleyrodidae, and genus Siphoninus. S. phillyreae is widely distributed in Middle East, Europe, Central and North Africa. This study aimed to examine the biological and ecological aspects of the whitefly S. phillyreae. This study was conducted in the laboratory and field of College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad during spring 2014. The results revealed that eggs with the size 0.29x0.086 mm were laid in partial or complete circular form on both upper and lower surfaces of mature leaves. The eggs had short sub-terminal stalk put into the leaf tissue by female ovipositor. There were four nymphalinstars. The first one was yellowish in color, long, elliptical in shape with the dimensions 0.26x0.15 mm, had antennae and long legs. The antennae and legs of nymphal stages (pupa case) larvae were immovable and measured 0.39x0.24 mm, 0.55x0.39 mm, and 0.96x0.78 mm, respectively during different stages of development. The winged adult came out after t-shaped disruption of pupa and its dorsal surface had a yellowish body with pure dusty white wings. Males and females can be differentiated by the size and shape of the abdomen, being 1.5 mm for the females. The laboratory results showed that the life cycle (means developmental time) was completed in 27 days whilefemale longevity extended for 26 days. Fertility check demonstrated that every female laid a maximum of 117.6 eggs while the sex ratio was 3:1 female to male. In Baghdad, the whiteflies are more abundant in the month of April and its generation grows from eggs to larvae. The study confirmed the presence of five to six generations annually in citrus plants in Baghdad.
Highlights
S. phillyreae (Haliday) is the pest found on different fruits, including citrus, pears, olives (Olea europaea), plums, loquat, and ash tree
The Ash Whitefly was introduced to the injury free branches of the citrus plants grown inside the cage
We observed that eggs of S. phillyreae were pale yellowish and were covered by a very thin layer of white wax
Summary
S. phillyreae (Haliday) is the pest found on different fruits, including citrus, pears, olives (Olea europaea), plums, loquat, and ash tree. It feeds on garden ornamental trees including privet, crepe, pyrus, myrtle, buckthorn, magnolia, and hawthorn. It causes damage to pear and apple in European regions. The ash whitefly S. phillyreae has numerous synonyms listed in Mound and Halsey [3]. It was distinguished as Aleyrodes phillyreae by Haliday and named as Phillyrea latifolia in Ireland [8, 9]. S. phillyreae has the ability to become a grave pest in other regions [10]
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