View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by National Documentation Centre - EKT journals ENTOMOLOGIA HELLENICA Vol. 21, 2012 First record of Siphoninus phillyreae on pomegranate in Greece Tsagkarakis Antonios Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos, GR - 118 55 Athens, Greece https://doi.org/10.12681/eh.11516 Copyright © 2017 Antonios E. Tsagkarakis To cite this article: Tsagkarakis, A. (2012). First record of Siphoninus phillyreae on pomegranate in Greece. ENTOMOLOGIA HELLENICA, 21(1), 39-43. doi:https://doi.org/10.12681/eh.11516 http://epublishing.ekt.gr | e-Publisher: EKT | Downloaded at 20/02/2020 22:40:29 | ENTOMOLOGIA HELLENICA 21 (2012): 39-43 SHORT COMMUNICATION First record of Siphoninus phillyreae on pomegranate in Greece ANTONIOS E. TSAGKARAKIS Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos, GR - 118 55 Athens, Greece; e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT On June 2012, the ash whitefly Siphoninus phillyreae (Haliday) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) was recorded for the first time on pomegranate in Greece. Its occurrence was observed in a pomegranate orchard at Kato Tithorea, in Fthiotida. Information on its morphology, biology and distribution is presented. KEY WORDS: Aleyrodidae, ash whitefly, first record. Pomegranate is one of the oldest fruit (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) and the woolly species cultivated in Greece, known since whitefly, Aleurothrixus floccosus the prehistoric years. The main cultivation (Hemiprera: Aleyrodidae) (Drogoudi et al. places were mainly the Aegean islands 2012). (Chios, Lesvos, Samos, Rhodos, Kalymnos, The aim of the present study was to Kos), Crete, Peloponnese (Argos, Astros), report the first record of the ash whitefly, Central Greece (Lamia) and Macedonia Siphoninus phillyreae (Haliday) (Hemiptera: (Veria, Edessa, Pella) (Pontikis 1987). After Aleyrodidae) on pomegranate in Greece. 2007, cultivation was expanded in new areas The infested pomegranate trees (cv. (Thessaloniki, Serres, Kavala, Rodopi etc.). ‘Wonderful’) were located in an orchard Nowadays, the estimated total area with near Kato Tithorea at Fthiotida Region, pomegranate orchards is about 1.500 ha Central Greece on June 15th 2012 (Fig. 1). (Drogoudi et al. 2012). Fruits can be found Identification of the specimens was made as in the fresh market, or processed as spice or described by Mound (1966). medical herb (Lionakis and Lidakis 2004, The ash whitefly is a widely distributed Lionakis 2005). insect pest. It occurs in Africa (Cameroon, Known insect pests of pomegranate in Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Greece include the pomegranate aphid, South Africa, Tunisia), Asia (India, Iran, Αphis punicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae), the Israel, Japan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, grape cane borer beetle, Amphicerus Turkey), the Americas (Argentina, Chile, bimaculatus (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae), the Mexico, U.S.A., Venezuela), Australia and flatheaded woodborer, Capnodis tenebrionis in Europe (Austria, Bulgaria, Corsica, Czech http://epublishing.ekt.gr | e-Publisher: EKT | Downloaded at 20/02/2020 22:40:29 | 40 ENTOMOLOGIA HELLENICA 21 (2012): 39-43 FIG. 2. Adult of S. phillyreae. FIG. 1. Pomegranate leaves infested by S. phillyreae. FIG. 3. Nymphs of S. phillyreae producing wax in the central strip on their dorsal surface. A characteristic dark brown spot is visible in the anal area. FIG. 4. Colony of S. phillyreae with honeydew excretions on pomegranate leaf. http://epublishing.ekt.gr | e-Publisher: EKT | Downloaded at 20/02/2020 22:40:29 | TSAGKARAKIS A.E.: First record of Siphoninus phillyreae on pomegranate in Greece 41 Republic, Cyprus, England, France, honeydew covering the leaves (Fig. 4), as Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, well as by the sooty mould fungi which Romania, Spain) (Nguyen and Hamon 2011, quickly covers the honeydew. In cases of CABI 2012). In Greece it has been referred heavy infestation, the honeydew and sooty in the past as a pest causing severe damage mould may cover the whole aerial part of the on pear (Costacos 1963). plant. Siphoninus phillyreae is polyphagous, Several natural enemies are referred that feeding on plants belonging to more than ten can control the ash whitefly population families. It is generally associated with under economic thresholds. These natural Oleaceae (Fraxinus, Olea, Phillyrea), enemies include predators (Clitostethus Rosaceae (Crataegus, Cydonia, Malus, arcuatus (Rossi), Menochilus sexmaculatus Prunus, Pyrus), Rutaceae (Citrus), (Fabricius), Scymnus pallidivestis Mulsant) Punicaceae (Punica) (Mound and Halsey (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and parasitoids 1978, Bellows et al. 1990, Sorensen et al. (Coccophagus eleaphilus Silvestri, Encarsia 1990). inaron (Walker), E. partenopea Masi, E. High density whitefly populations can formosa Gahan, E. galilea Rivnay, E. damage the host plant, with symptoms punicae Hayat, E. pseudopartenopea including chlorosis of leaves (Priesner and Viggiani and Mazzone, E. siphonini Hosny 1932), premature defoliation Silvestri, Eretmocerus corni Haldeman, E. (Priesner and Hosny 1932, Costacos 1963), siphonini Viggiani and Battaglia) and reduced fruit size (Costacos 1963). (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) (Stocks and In California initially produced Hodges 2010). numerous generations per year (Nguyen and Outbreaks of S. phillyreae seem to occur Hamon 2011), whereas only two to three only when natural enemies are disrupted by generations were reported in Egypt (Priesner insecticide applications (Tremblay 1969, and Hosny 1932). 1973) or when it is introduced into The adult whitefly has a light dusting of previously uninfested areas. white wax on the wings and the body (Fig. 2). Winged females lay eggs on the References underside of the leaves. When the nymphs emerge, they rarely move far and feed on the plant sap until pupation (Gillespie 2000). Bellows, T.S., T.D. Paine, K.Y. Arakawa, C. The vasiform orifice is surrounded by dark Meisenbacher, P. Leddy and J. brown derma (inner, thicker layer of the Kabashima. 1990. Biological control cuticle) with the anal area appearing as a sought for ash whitefly. California Agric. dark brown spot (Fig. 3). Lateral areas of the 44: 4-6. pupal case are light beige. Depending on the CABI. 2012. Invasive Species age, lesser or greater amounts of white wax Compendium. [Internet]. Available from will be present, due to the two longitudinal http://www.cabi.org/isc/?compid=5&dsi tufts of white wax on the pupal case, which d=51036&loadmodule=datasheet&page= makes the formatted colonies similar to 481&site=144 . snow scales (Fig. 3). The dorsal surface has Costacos, T.A. 1963. [On a severe attack by numerous long, glassy tubercles which Siphoninus phillyreae Haliday subsp. produce a droplet of glassy wax. The pupal ineaqualis Gautier on fruit trees and its case size is 0.8 to 1.0 mm long by 0.55 to control.] Geoponika 105: 3-7 [in Greek]. 0.7 mm wide and is tan or beige in color Drogoudi, P., M. Vassilakakis, Th. (Mound 1966, Stocks and Hodges 2010). Thomidis, E. Navrozidis and G. The occurrence of S. phillyreae on Pantelidis. 2012. Handbook on infested leaves is detected by the spots of cultivation of pomegranate. NAGREF, http://epublishing.ekt.gr | e-Publisher: EKT | Downloaded at 20/02/2020 22:40:29 | 42 ENTOMOLOGIA HELLENICA 21 (2012): 39-43 Naoussa, Greece, 32pp. (in Greek). Priesner, H. and M. Hosny. 1932. Gillespie, P.S. 2000. A new whitefly for Contribution to a knowledge of the NSW - The ash whitefly. NSW White Flies (Aleurodidae) of Egypt (I). Agriculture. [Internet]. Available from Cairo, Egypt: Bull. Minist. Agric. Egypt, http://www.agric.nsw.gov.au/Hort/ascu/i tecn. and scient. Serv, Government nsects/ashwf.htm . Press. Lionakis, S.M. 1995. Present status and Sorensen, J.T., R.T. Gill, R.V. Dowell and future prospects of the cultivation in R.W. Garrison. 1990. The introduction Greece of the plants: fig, loquat, of Siphoninus phillyrea (Haliday) Japanese persimmon, pomegranate and (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) into North Barbary fig . In: Llácer G., Aksoy U. and America: niche competition, evolution of Mars M. (eds). Underutilized fruit crops host plant acceptance, and a prediction of in the Mediterranean region. Zaragoza: its potential range in the Nearctic. Pan- CIHEAM-IAMZ, 1995. Zaragoza Pac. Entomol. 66: 43-54. (Spain), pp. 21-30. Stocks, I. and G. Hodges. 2010. Ash Lionakis, S.M. and D. Lidakis. 2004. whitefly, Siphoninus phillyreae Development of plants qualitive (Haliday), a new exotic whitefly characteristics of fruits belonging to (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in central Pomegranate genotype. Proc. 21st Conf. Florida, and Encarsia inaron, its Greek Society of Science of Vegetables, parasitoid (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). 8-10 October 2003, Ioannina, pp. 249- Division of Plant Industry. [Internet]. 263. Available from Mound, L.A. 1966. A revision of the British http://www.freshfromflorida.com/pi/pest Aleyrodidae (Hemiptera: Homoptera). _alerts/pdf/ash-whitefly-pest-alert.pdf Bull. Br. Mus. Nat. Hist. 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