Abstract

VEJAR-COTA, Guadalupe; ORTEGA-ARENAS, Laura Delia  and  CARAPIA-RUIZ, Vicente Emilio. First record of the cereal whitefly Aleurocybotus occiduus Russell (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and its potential impact as a cereal pest in Northern Sinaloa. Acta Zool. Mex [online]. 2009, vol.25, n.1, pp.33-48. ISSN 2448-8445.

Aleurocybotus occiduus Russell (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) was identified from specimens collected at Guasave, Sinaloa State, Mexico. Ten plant species, all among Poaceae and Cyperaceae, were identified as hosts of this insect at Guasave fields. However, A. occiduus was able to complete its life cycle only in eight of those hosts, six wild and two domesticated species. The aleyrodid was collected from sites close to cities Los Mochis and Guasave, Sinaloa, nevertheless it seems that it is not causing important damages to the cultivated plants in that region, the parasitoids Encarsia spp. and Eretmocerus spp. (Aphelinidae) that have been recovered from A. occiduus samples might have something to do with. This constitutes the first record of this species at Sinaloa state, and more attention should be given to this insect because the potential risk for attacking cereals in that region.

Keywords : Whiteflies; Aleurocybotus; Poaceae; hosts; distribution; natural enemies.

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