Aleurolobus olivinus (Silvestri)
Taxonomic placing: Insecta, Hemimetabola, Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae.
Common name: Olive whitefly.
Geographic Distribution: Mediterranean region, Iran, China.
Morphology: Puparium flattened, black, with fine setae around body. Adults whitish, covered with a white powdery wax.
Host plants: Oleaceae, like olive and Phillyrea spp. and Murraya sp. (Rutaceae).
Life history:- This species has 1-2 annual generations, being active in summer and autumn, each female depositing 50-60 eggs on the upper leaf surfaces.
Economic importance: A minor, occasional pest of olives. Its feeding on the leaves causes some damage but most injury is due to the excreted honeydew that is colonized by sootymold.
Management
Biological control: Natural enemies, mostly Aphelinidae, especially Encarsia olivine (Masi), usually control this whitefly.
References
Guershon, M. and Seplyarsky, V. 2011. The Aleyrodidae of Israel, Biology, Distribution and Host Plant Associations. Plant Protection and Inspection Servives, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Israel, 20 pp.
Mifsud, D. and Porta-Puglia A. 2005. First record of Aleurolobus olivinus (silvestri) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Malta. The Central Mediterranean Naturalist 4: 139.
Morsi, G.A., Moussa, S.F.M. and Serag, A.M. 2010. Population dynamics of the olive whitefly, Aleurolobus olivinus (Silvestri) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and its parasitoids in middle Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control 20: 143-148.