Trialeurodes abutiloneus

Adults are readily identified by the characteristic zig-zag banding pattern on the forewings, visible even at low magnification. This distinguishes T. abutiloneus from the greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum), which lacks such banding, and from Bemisia tabaci, which has different wing venation and lacks distinct transverse bands. Eggs are oval and deposited on leaf undersurfaces. Nymphs are flattened, oval, and sessile after the crawler stage, with yellowish or whitish translucent appearance.

Occurs on the undersides of leaves of host plants. Found in agricultural fields, research greenhouses, and areas where host crops are cultivated. In natural settings, associated with wild malvaceous plants.

Native to the Americas with historic distribution from Mexico to southern New York and Michigan in the United States. Present in Canada since at least 1973, with confirmed records from southwestern Ontario (Point Pelee National Park, 2012; research greenhouses, 2016). Also recorded from Tennessee, Illinois, and other soybean-growing regions of the United States.

Phloem-feeding; extracts sap from host plant leaves using piercing-sucking mouthparts. Feeding occurs primarily on leaf undersurfaces.

• Gossypium hirsutum - hostcotton
• Hibiscus - hostornamental and wild species
• Ipomoea batatas - hostsweet potato
• Glycine max - hostsoybean; occasional host, often spillover from cotton
• Abutilon - hostwild and cultivated species

Hemimetabolous development with four life stages: egg, nymph (including mobile crawler stage and sessile feeding instars), pupa (pupal case), and adult. Eggs are deposited on leaf undersurfaces. Crawlers emerge and locate feeding sites before becoming sessile. Nymphs and pupae are flattened, yellowish to whitish, and translucent. Multiple generations per year are likely in favorable climates.

Adults are weak fliers that flutter from leaf surfaces when disturbed. Colonizes leaf undersurfaces in dense aggregations. Populations can build rapidly under favorable conditions, with numerous eggs deposited on leaf surfaces.

Herbivore that feeds on plant phloem. Acts as a vector for plant pathogenic viruses including Abutilon yellows virus and Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus. Serves as prey for generalist predators in agricultural systems, though specific natural enemy records are poorly documented.

Agricultural pest of cotton, sweet potato, and occasionally soybean. Vector of economically significant plant viruses. Not considered a major pest in Canada, but of concern in U.S. cotton and sweet potato production. Management in greenhouses and nurseries is important to prevent establishment on ornamental plants.

• Trialeurodes vaporariorumGreenhouse whitefly lacks zig-zag wing bands; wings appear uniformly white or with simpler venation patterns
• Bemisia tabaciSweet potato whitefly has different wing shape and venation, lacks distinct transverse banding; more broadly polyphagous and economically significant
• Trialeurodes urticaeCabbage whitefly has different host associations and wing pattern

• whitefly
• agricultural pest
• virus vector
• phloem feeder
• Hemiptera
• Aleyrodidae

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Hemiptera | Beetles In The Bush | Page 6
• The gift of poinsettia. The silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii — Bug of the Week
• Sulfoxaflor Found to Be Less Harmful to Beneficial Predators of Soybean Aphids
• Trialeurodes abutiloneus (Haldeman) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a species long present but never officially recorded in Canada