Dialeurodes, Cockerell

Martin, Jon H., 2005, Whiteflies of Belize (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Part 2 - a review of the subfamily Aleyrodinae Westwood, Zootaxa 1098 (1), pp. 1-116 : 38-39

DIALEURODES Cockerell

Aleyrodes (Dialeurodes) Cockerell, 1902: 283 . Type species Aleyrodes citri Riley & Howard, 1893: 219–222 , by original designation. [Synonymised with Aleyrodes citri Ashmead, 1885: 704 by Quaintance & Baker, 1917: 408.]

Dialeurodes Cockerell ; as full genus, Quaintance & Baker, 1914: 97.

DIAGNOSIS AND COMMENTS. As interpreted here, Dialeurodes sensu lato comprises species with the following combination of characters: outline usually oval or slightly elongate, the margin may be rather flat or insinuate thoracically; tracheal openings at margin usually marked by invaginated pores which may sometimes be shallow; margin smooth or slightly crenulate; submargin not separated from dorsal disc; cephalic, eighth abdominal and caudal setae present, first abdominal setae present or absent; subdorsum (or occasionally submargin) with setae, typically about 12–14 pairs, some or all of which are usually tiny and may be difficult to resolve; transverse moulting sutures not reaching margin; abdominal segment VII not, or little, reduced in length medially; vasiform orifice small in proportion to puparium, usually subcircular or broadly elliptical, fully occupied by operculum; lingula usually covered by operculum but sometimes protruding beyond posterior edge of orifice, often structurally complex but not lobulate; caudal furrow variably marked; ventrally, caudal and thoracic tracheal folds marked and usually punctuated by stippling; cuticle usually pale, sometimes variously pigmented.

Two preliminary cladistic appraisals of members of the broad Dialeurodes ­group were conducted by Jensen (1999, 2001). His results have indicated that a cladistic approach to puparial systematics is practicable, clearly indicating discrete groupings within this assemblage. Jensen (2001) provided clear means of distinguishing Dialeurodes from Massilieurodes Goux and from Singhiella Sampson , but there remain very many taxa (both described and undescribed) that have not been examined in this kind of detail, and Dialeurodes is in great need of reappraisal. Dialeurodes sensu lato is much the most speciose of whitefly genera. It currently comprises a worldwide assemblage of around 120 described species, after taking into account those species recently transferred to Massilieurodes and Singhiella by Jensen. Inevitably many species still included are not congeneric with the type species, D. citri (Ashmead) .

In most geographical areas where whitefly inventory studies have been conducted, a significant number of species are assignable to Dialeurodes sensu lato. In Belize, only one described species has been identified, and that has here been transferred into Dialeurodes from Aleuroplatus . A further 12 species are here placed within this group, many very tentatively, including some that may later prove to be more appropriately placed in other described or new genera. Indeed, as this manuscript was about to go to press, Lima & Racca­Filho (2005) described their new genus, Peracchius : two Belizean species are regarded as belonging to Peracchius , explaining sequence numbers missing from the list of species of Dialeurodes sens lat . in Appendix 1.