Belongs within: Sternorrhyncha.
Contains: Aleyrodinae.
The Aleyrodidae, whiteflies, are small plant-sucking bugs with immobile nymphs, some species of which are notorious crop pests. Adults are soft-bodied with reduced wing venation and are usually covered with a white, waxy powder (Carver et al. 1991). The earliest fossil whiteflies are known from Early Cretaceous Lebanese amber (Grimaldi & Engel 2005). Modern whiteflies are divided into subfamilies based on the fourth instar nymph (the puparium), with Aleurodicinae having large compound wax glands on the puparium in addition to simple ones (Carver et al. 1991).
Characters (from Grimaldi & Engel 2005): Adults usually covered with a mealy, flocculent wax, secreted by pairs of large glands on several abdominal sternites, spread over body using combs of hairs on hind legs. Antennae reduced to six or fewer segments; rostrum with four segments, segment two telescoping into segment one. Wing venation extremely reduced. First instar mobile; subsequent instars sedentary, with atrophied appendages; vasiform orifice present at tip of abdomen for expelling honeydew: anus opening into deep median fold in tergite eight, with lingula flicking away droplets forming therein; quiescent prepupal and pupal instars present prior to adulthood.
<==Aleyrodidae [Aleurodidae, Aleyrodina, Aleyrodoidea, Aleyrodomorpha, Scytinelytra]
|--Heidea Schlee 1970GE05, P92
| `--H. cretacicaGE05
|--Bernaea Schlee 1970P92 [Bernaeidae, BernaeinaeGE05]
| `--B. neocomicaGE05
`--+--SiphonaleyrodinaeS35
|--AleyrodinaeS35
`--Aleurodicinae [Udamoselinae]S35
|--Radialeurodicus Bondar 1923S35
|--AleurodicusS35
| |--A. antillensisSEH96
| |--A. destructorCGW91 [incl. Aleyrodes albofloccosa (Froggatt 1918)WEE70, S35]
| |--A. dispersusZS10
| |--A. dugesii Cockerell 1896ZR96
| `--A. holmesii (Maskell 1896) [=Aleurodes holmesii]K08
|--Udamoselis Enderlein 1909S35
`--Synaleurodicus Solomon 1935S35
`--*S. hakeae Solomon 1935S35
Aleyrodidae incertae sedis:
DialeurodesS35
|--D. chittendeniSEH96
|--D. citriS35
|--D. citrifoliiSEH96
|--D. kirkaldyiCGW91
`--D. pallidusG01
TrialeurodesS35
|--T. abutiloneusSEH96
|--T. ferrnaldiSEH96
|--T. floridensisSEH96
|--T. packardiSEH96
|--T. riciniSEH96
|--T. vaporariorumS35
`--T. variabilisSEH96
Parabemisia myricaeMHG04
AleuronymphaK-P91
Aleuroclava eucalyptiCGW91
Orchamoplatus citriCGW91
PealiusLS96
|--P. azaleaeCGW91
`--P. kelloggiLS96
AleurothrixusSEH96
|--A. aepimM99
|--A. floccosus [incl. A. howardi]SEH96
|--A. porteriSEH96
`--A. socialisM99
AleuroplatusSEH96
|--A. coronataSEH96
|--A. elemeraeSEH96
|--A. gelatinosusSEH96
`--A. liquidambarisSEH96
Aleuroglandulus malangaeSEH96
CrenidorsumSEH96
Acaudaleyrodes citriSEH96
AsterobemisiaSEH96
|--A. carpiniSEH96
`--A. paveliSEH96
Bulgarialeurodes cotesiiSEH96
SiphoninusSEH96
|--S. immaculatusSEH96
`--S. phillyreaeSEH96
AleurocybotusSEH96
|--A. indicusSEH96
`--A. occiduusSEH96
ParaleyrodesSEH96
|--P. naranjaeSEH96
`--P. perseaeSEH96
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[CGW91] Carver, M., G. F. Gross & T. E. Woodward. 1991. Hemiptera (bugs, leafhoppers, cicadas, aphids, scale insects etc.) In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2nd ed. vol. 1 pp. 429–509. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).
[GE05] Grimaldi, D., & M. S. Engel. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press: New York.
[G01] Gupta, S. K. 2001. A conspectus of natural enemies of phytophagous mites and mites as potential biocontrol agents of agricultural pests in India. In: Halliday, R. B., D. E. Walter, H. C. Proctor, R. A. Norton & M. J. Colloff (eds) Acarology: Proceedings of the 10th International Congress pp. 484–497. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.
[K08] Kirkaldy, G. W. 1908. A catalogue of the Hemiptera of Fiji. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 33: 345–391, pl. 4.
[K-P91] Kukalová-Peck, J. 1991. Fossil history and the evolution of hexapod structures. In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2nd ed. vol. 1 pp. 141–179. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).
[LS96] Liu, T.-X., & P. A. Stansly. 1996. Morphology of Nephaspis oculatus and Delphastus pusillus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), predators of Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 98 (2): 292–300.
[MHG04] Maynard, G. V., J. G. Hamilton & J. F. Grimshaw. 2004. Quarantine—phytosanitary, sanitary and incursion management: an Australian entomological perspective. Australian Journal of Entomology 43 (3): 318–328.
[M99] Moraes, G. J. de. 1999. Pest status of the cassava green mite in Brazil and strategies for its control. In: Needham, G. R., R. Mitchell, D. J. Horn & W. C. Welbourn (eds) Acarology IX vol. 2. Symposia pp. 287–291. Ohio Biological Survey: Columbus (Ohio).
[P92] Poinar, G. O., Jr. 1992. Life in Amber. Stanford University Press: Stanford.
[SEH96] Schauff, M. E., G. A. Evans & J. M. Heraty. 1996. A pictorial guide to the species of Encarsia (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) parasitic on whiteflies (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in North America. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 98 (1): 1–35.
[S35] Solomon, M. E. 1935. On a new genus and two new species of Western Australian Aleyrodidae. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 21: 75–91.
[WEE70] Woodward, T. E., J. W. Evans & V. F. Eastop. 1970. Hemiptera (bugs, leafhoppers, etc.) In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers pp. 387–457. Melbourne University Press.
[ZS10] Zborowski, P., & R. Storey. 2010. A Field Guide to Insects in Australia 3rd ed. Reed New Holland: Sydney.
[ZR96] Zolnerowich, G., & M. Rose. 1996. A new species of Entedononecremnus (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae) parasitic on the giant whitefly, Aleurodicus dugesii Cockerell (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 98 (2): 369–373.