Insects (2020) 11 (1 - 42)

Francesco Nugnes, Stefania Laudonia, Giovanni Jesu, Maurice Gerardus Maria Jansen, Umberto Bernardo and Francesco Porcelli (2020)
Aleurocanthus spiniferus (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in some European countries: Diffusion, hosts, molecular characterization, and natural enemies
Insects 11 (1 - 42)
Abstract: After the first record in 2008 in Southeast Italy, the alien invasive and quarantine pest Aleurocanthus spiniferus (orange spiny whitefly—OSW) has gradually spread throughout Europe, infesting several new host plants in addition to the known hosts. Molecular characterization of some Italian populations and a newly found Albanian population highlighted two different haplotypes invading Europe, belonging to one of the haplogroups previously recorded in China. A predator was recorded for the first time in several fields in Italy in association with OSW and other whitefly species. It was successively identified through a morpho-molecular characterization as a Nearctic member of the tribe Serangiini, the ladybird beetle, Delphastus catalinae. This predator represents a promising biocontrol agent to manage A. spiniferus outbreaks in Italy and other invaded countries.
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Full text of article
Database assignments for author(s): Stefania Laudonia, Umberto Bernardo, Francesco Porcelli

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
population dynamics/ epidemiology
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Aleurocanthus spiniferus	Citrus (genus)	Albania
	Aleurocanthus spiniferus	Citrus (genus)	Italy
Delphastus catalinae (predator)	Aleurocanthus spiniferus		Italy