334 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 1 



THE CITRUS WHITEFLY OF FLORIDA CONSISTS OF 



TWO SPECIES 



By Dr. E. W. Berger, Gainesville, Fla. 



That the citrus whitetiy of Florida represents two distinct *^^"'1 ''-ell- 

 defined species is a fact well authenticated by careful observations now 

 extending over some months. Each species has been found by itself 

 in several localities of the state, but both species may occur in the 

 same locality and live on the same tree. The presence of a delicate 

 net, consisting of hexagonal meshes, covering the eggs of whitefly in 

 certain localities, while the eggs from other localities were perfectly 

 smooth and glossy, is the character which first directed the writer's 

 attention to the subject. Careful comparisons of the larvae of the 

 first stage revealed the fact that the larva hatched from the reticulated 

 egg develops a waxy border between the marginal spines about as 

 broad as the length of the shorter spines; whereas the larva hatched 

 from the smooth egg develops no such border. Differences in the 

 number of marginal spines of the first stage larvae of the two species 

 have also been noted, together with differences in the size of these 

 larvae. Well-marked differences between the larvje of the fourth stage 

 and also between the pupre have been recognized. One or two charac- 

 ters for distinguishing the adults also appear to be established. 



The species with the smooth eggs is no doubt the one' described in 

 1893 by Riley and Howard in '^ Insect Life" as Aleyrodes citri. The 

 species with the reticulated egg appears to be undescribed. It is 

 neither Aleyrodes aurantii IVIaskell, A. marlatti Quaintance, nor A. 

 spinifera Quaintance, living on citrus in the Northwestern Himalayas, 

 Japan, and Java, respectively; nor is it A. howardii Quaintance, from 

 Cuba ; nor any other Aleyrodes living on citrus, so far as the writer 

 has been able to determine. It is therefore probably a new species, 

 unless it is some hitherto little known species described as occurring 

 on other plants than citrus. 



That the undescribed species in question also exists in Louisiana is 

 evident from Professor H. A. Morgan's figure of the reticulated egg;^ 

 but Professor Morgan was evidently not aware of the existence of two 

 types of eggs, representing two species seriously affecting citrus. He 

 gives the name "Aleyrodes citrifolii (Riley, MS.)" to the species 

 observed hy him in Louisiana. The manuscript here referred to is 

 evidently the one later published in "Insect Life," the name of the 

 insect having in the meantime been changed to Aleyrodes citri. 



iSpecial Bulletin of the Louisiana State Experiment Station, 1893. 



