Aleuroparadoxus, 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 : 16

ALEUROPARADOXUS Quaintance & Baker

Aleuroparadoxus Quaintance & Baker, 1914: 105 . Type species Aleyrodes iridescens Bemis, 1904: 487–489 by monotypy.

DIAGNOSIS AND COMMENTS. As interpreted here, Aleuroparadoxus comprises species with puparia ( Figs 19–21 , 90–93) that display the following combination of characters: puparia ovoid to slightly wider than long; cuticle usually dark brown to black and with little evident secreted wax; margin crenulate, modified at thoracic tracheal openings; dorsal papillae present, usually with a submarginal row and others present on dorsal disc, the papillae variably developed but usually some rather flat, plate­like; transverse moulting sutures reach submargin; median lengths of abdominal segments VI & VII similar; each cephalic seta situated at lateral apex of a shallow, thumb­shaped ridge; vasiform orifice cordate, fully occupied by operculum, lingula head lobulate but covered by operculum; with a short caudal furrow, defined by a pair of variably developed caudal ridges which terminate at the pair of caudal setae; ventrally, tracheal folds well defined and legs lined mesally by a band of blunt spinules.

Russell (1947) revised this New World genus, comprising ten described species, assigning the genus to the tribe Trialeurodini . Russell noted the propensity for puparia of Aleuroparadoxus species to develop readily on both leaf surfaces, and she further noted that morphological differences were not evident between upper and lower­surface individuals. Five species are known from Belize, three of them described and two that remain undescribed. No colonies have been discovered in Belize, all specimens having been found singly.

Figures

FIGURES 19–21. Aleuroparadoxus spp, puparia (after Russell, 1947). 19, A. sapotae Russell with enlarged detail of thoracic tracheal pore area, and vasiform orifice (see Fig. 91 for photograph); 20, A. rhodae Russell with enlarged detail of thoracic tracheal pore area, and submedian abdominal gland (see Fig. 90 for photograph); 21, A. truncatus Russell with enlarged detail of thoracic tracheal pore area, and vasiform orifice (see Fig. 93 for photograph).