Aleurodicus dispersus Summary PRA prepared June 1997Alan MacLeod 04-10801 PPM point 8.

CSL Summary Pest Risk Assessment for Aleurodicus dispersus

1. Name of pest (Genus, species, Authority, Order, Family, Common Name) Aleurodicus dispersus Russell Hemiptera Aleyrodidae spiralling whitefly*
* Not an official UK MAFF name

2. (a) Does it occur in the EU or arrive regularly as a natural migrant ? Occurs in the EU (in the Canary Islands (Spain) where there have been sporadic outbreaks since 1963). 2. (b) Is there any other reason to suspect that the pest is already established in the EU ? See 2 (a) above. 3. EU Directive status ? (Annex or not listed) Not listed. 4. EPPO Status ? (Listed or not listed) Not listed. 5. What are its host plants ? Polyphagous, feeds on plants from at least 26 families, including Capsicum (sweet pepper), Citrus spp., Cocos nuciferai (coconut), Glycine max (soya), Laguncularia racemosa (black olives), Mangifera indica (mango), Musa paradisiaca (banana), Persea americana (avocado), Psidium guajava (guava) and several (un-named) ornamental species. Wen et al., (1994a) lists 144 species of plants, in 64 families recorded as host plants of Aleurodicus dispersus in Taiwan. In a study of economically important fruits grown in Florida, Cherry (1980) found that the preferred food plant was black olives, followed by coconut and banana with grapefruit and oranges least preferred. (a) Highlight the crop plants grown economically, including those of environmental / amenity value in the EU & UK. Citrus spp. and olives (grown mainly in Southern EU). Glasshouses in the Northern EU grow hosts such as Capsicum. Although recorded as a host, there are no records of damage caused by A. dispersus in commercial Capsicum crops. (b) Are any of the host plants of forestry importance ? No. 6. What is its present geographical distribution ? Aleurodicus dispersus was first described from southern Florida, Central and South America, the West Indies and the Canary Islands by Russell (1965). It has since spread rapidly and is now present in Asia (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand), Africa (Nigeria, Togo), North America (Hawaii, southern counties in Florida), Central America (Bahamas, Barbados, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti,

Pest Categorisation

Aleurodicus dispersus Summary PRA prepared June 1997Alan MacLeod

Martinique, Panama, Puerto Rico), South America (Peru, Brazil), Oceania (American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Micronesia, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea) and Europe (Canary Islands - Spain) (CABI 1993, EPPO PQR, 1996). 7. Does it appear capable of becoming introduced into the UK ? (Introduction consists of a pest first entering a geographic area and then establishing in the area i.e. sustaining a population in the area (FAO, 1996)). Could it enter the UK ? Yes - this summary PRA was initiated after four live pupae were found on Crossandra nilotica cuttings (the firecracker flower) from Sri Lanka after an interception at a nursery in Linconshire (DOMERO Ref: 6801/106). Could it sustain a population in the UK? (a) Outdoors No - this is a tropical and sub-tropical species. Lack of suitable hosts would prevent establishment and the cool UK climate would be unsuitable for population development. Adult survival is reduced at temperatures below 5C (Wen et al., 1994b). Wen et al., (1994) studied the thermal requirements for development of Aleurodicus dispersus. Table 1 shows development threshold temperatures and accumulated temperatures required for development of each life stage. Table 1: Temperature thresholds and accumulated temperature required for development of Aleurodicus dispersus. (Wen et al., 1994b) Life stage Temperature threshold Degree days (above threshold) for development (C) to complete life stage Egg 4.6 170 1st instar 8.8 68 2nd instar 8.2 89 3rd & 4th instar 9.8 105 Adults are active at 12 to 32C. Mean fecundity is highest at 25C (28 eggs/female). Measuring winter survivorship of A. dispersus, in Florida, Cherry (1979) concluded that the northern range of A. dispersus is limited by cold winter temperatures. (b) on protected crops Possibly. The crop at risk in the UK would be Capsicum, although only a small amount of this is grown in protected cultivation in the UK. Some ornamental crops could be at risk. However no specific ornamental hosts could be identified from the literature. 8. What is its potential likely to be as (i) a pest or (ii) virus vector in the UK and EU? (i) Aleurodicus dispersus is a conspicuous species, producing large amounts of wax and honeydew. Heavy infestations can occur causing premature leaf drop. However its potential as a pest in the UK is limited by the unsuitable climate outdoors and lack of host plants in protected cultivation. Elsewhere in the EU, where the climate is much warmer and hosts may be found, it has the potential to become a pest. It is already present in Southern EU (in the Canary Islands) where a large outbreak occurred in 1992 on Citrus limon (EPPO, 1996). However Aleurodicus dispersus is not a serious pest of Citrus.

Pest Categorisation

Aleurodicus dispersus Summary PRA prepared June 1997Alan MacLeod

Infestation on cassava in India, caused yellowish speckling of the leaves and when severely infested, leaves crinkled and curled. (Palaniswami, et al., 1995) Aleurodicus dispersus is on the A2 pest list of the CPPC (Caribbean Plant Protection Commission) (ii) Aleurodicus dispersus is associated with the mycoplasma causing the disease lethal yellowing of coconut (Russell, 1965). 9. What are the prospects for continued exclusion ? Good - the unsuitable climate and lack of hosts should prevent establishment in the UK. 10. What are the prospects of eradication ? Good - the unsuitable climate and lack of hosts should prevent establishment in the UK. 11. How would eradication be achieved (in summary) ? If A. dispersus was found to survive in the UK, chemical options to eradicate it would include, Nemolt (teflubenzuron) - when sprayed, pupae will cease to be viable. Applaud (buprofezin) - which has some effect on whitefly pupae, reducing the number of adults that emerge. The coccinelids Nephaspis bicolor, N. namolica and N. amnicola have been introduced successfully into Hawaii and Colombia to control A.dispersus (Gordon, 1982; Lai & Funasaki, 1990). Peak populations of A. dispersus in Hawaii on guava were reduced by 79 - 98% (Kumashiro et al., 1983). In Australia, Encarsia haitiensis has been introduced as a possible biological control agent of Aleurodicus dispersus. 12. Conclusion Aleurodicus dispersus is a tropical and sub-tropical pest of exotic fruits and would not become a significant pest in the UK. It is present in the Southern EU but is currently restricted to the Canary Islands. 13. References
CABI (1993) Distribution maps of pests, Aleurodicus dispersus, Map no. 476 (1st revision), CABI, London. Cherry, R.H. (1979) Temperature tolerance of three whitefly species found in Florida, Environmental Entomology, 8, (6), 1150-1152. Cherry, R.H. (1980) Host plant preference of the whitefly Aleurodicus dispersus Russell. Florida Entomologist, 63, (2), 222-225. EPPO (1996) Citrus whiteflies in Spain, EPPO Reporting Service, 96 / 031. FAO (1996) International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures, Part 1- Import Regulations, Guidelines for Pest Risk Analysis, FAO, Rome, 21p. Gordon, R.D. (1982) Two new species of Nephaspis Casey (Coleoptera: Coccinelidae) from Trinidad and Colombia. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 84, (2), 332336. Kajita, H., Samundra, I.M. & Naito, A. (1991) Discovery of the spiralling whitefly Aleurodicus dispersus Russell (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) from Indonesia, with notes on its hosts plants and natural enemies, Applied Entomology and Zoology, 26, (3), 397-400.

Pest Categorisation

Aleurodicus dispersus Summary PRA prepared June 1997Alan MacLeod Kumashiro, B.R., Lai, P.Y., Funasaki, G.Y. & Teramoto, K.K. (1983) Efficacy of Nephaspis amnicola and Encarsia haitiensis in controlling Aleurodicus dispersus in Hawaii, Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society, 24, (2/3), 261-269. Lai, P.Y. & Funasaki, G.Y. (1990) The use of natural enemies for controlling agricultural pests in Hawaii, USA. In: The use of parasitoids and predators to control agricultural pests, FFTC NARC International Seminar, Tukuha Science City, Japan, 2-7 Oct., 1989, 20pp. Manzano, F., Carnero, A., Perez, P.F. & Gonzalez, A .(1995) [Aleurodicus dispersus Russell (Homoptera, Aleurodidae) a whitefly of economic importance in the Canaries, with special reference to the island of Tenerife], Boletin de Sanidad Vegetal Plagas, 21, (1), 3-9. Palaniswami, M.S., Pillai, K.S., Nair, R.R. & Mohandas, C. (1995) A new cassava pest in India, Cassava Newsletter, 19, (1), 6. Russell, L.M. (1965) A new species of Aleurodicus Douglas and two close relatives (Homoptera : Aleyrodidae), Florida Entomologist, 48, (1), 47-55. Wen, H.C., Hsu, T.C., Chen,C.N., Wen, H.C., Hsu, T.C., Chen, C.N. (1994a) Supplementary description and host plants of the spiralling whitefly, Aleurodicus dispersus Russell, Chinese Journal of Entomology, 14, (2), 147-161. Wen, H.C., Hsu, T.C., Chen, C.N., Wen, H.C., Hsu, T.C., Chen, C.N. (1994b) Effects of temperature on the development, adult longevity, activity and oviposition of the spiralling whitefly, Aleurodicus dispersus Russell (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), Chinese Journal of Entomology , 14, (2), 163-172.

From EPPO RS

2000/172

First report of Aleurodicus dispersus in Mauritius

In August 2000, Aleurodicus dispersus (EPPO Alert List) has been identified in Mauritius. It occured only in the Northern and Eastern parts of the island. The pest has been observed on a wide range of plants (ornamentals, fruits and vegetables). The sudden appearance of A. dispersus in great numbers is considered as an indication of a fairly recent introduction. This is the first report of A. dispersus in Mauritius. The situation of A. dispersus in Mauritius can be described as: Present: only in the north and east part. Source: Ganeshan, S. (2000) Global news: Mauritius - First occurrence of : Aleurodicus dispersus (Russell). EWSN Newsletter, no.6, p 4.

Name of pest risk analyst: Alan MacLeod Address: Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York, YO4 1LZ, UK.

Date: June 1997

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