Bemisia hancocki, Corbett, 1936

Gill, Raymond, 2012, A preliminary report on the World species of Bemisia Quaintance and Baker and its congeners (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) with a comparative analysis of morphological variation and its role in the recognition of species Raymond Gill, Insecta Mundi 2012 (219), pp. 1-99 : 9-10

B. hancocki intergrade in many characteristics with Bemisia tuberculata Bondar in South America and with Bemisia berbericola (Cockerell) in western North America. There are numerous species described from Eurasia that also belong this species group. African afer complex species tend to have relatively short lingulae compared to some Asian forms, and especially with B. berbericola in the western United States, in which the lingula can be very long and narrow. Regu and David (1991)

synonymized B. afer with Bemisia leakii (Peal) based on microspines at the bases of the antennae

(these also occur on B. tuberculata specimens from South America) and ridges at the end of the vasiform orifice, but the variability of these characters and thus their reliability as taxonomic have not been assessed. The original illustration of B. leakii by Peal shows an elongated lingula, a characteristic of Asian members of this complex (e.g. B. moringae David and Subramanium ) and the new World (e.g. B. berbericola ) rather than the shorter lingulae of Europe and Africa specimens of the afer complex. Specimens of B. tuberculata from South America tend to have lingulae of length that is intermediate between those of afer complex specimens from Africa and B. berbericola from North

America. This also is a variable character and its usefulness as a taxonomic character is unknown.

Populations in the afer complex exhibit extreme morphological variability in the length of dorsal setae and development of rugosities and protuberances.

There are some intriguing characters in some of the species of the afer complex from the

Macaronesian Islands that are illustrated later. Specimens from one population have a different ommatidial arrangement in the adult compound eyes than those in other other populations, and also have a longer lingula. They also show molecular similarities with specimens from western North

America, which have the same eye configuration (see discussion for Fig. 64). seems to be no morphological basis for treating them as separate. It is here considered to be in the afer complex of species. It is apparently African in origin. (Figure reprinted by permission from

Springer Science+Business Media B.V.). numerous long setae and the star-shaped protuberances. It is known from several widely separated localities in Africa, all on the same host species. It is obviously in the afer group, but whether it should have species level status is problematic. The double set of submedial and subdorsal pore-

porette pairs could be host-induced variation. A similar morphological response can be seen in the specimens of B. berbericola from oak in Fig. 23, and particularly in some specimens from the

Macaronesian Islands discussed below (see Fig. 66 and 70). (Figure reprinted by permission from

Springer Science+Business Media B.V.). specimen, as determined by Louise Russell, deviates little from the form of B. afer except that it does not have the thickened crenulations at the ends of tracheal folds. Other South American specimens sometimes have microspines around the antennae and first thoracic legs and the cephalic setae are often elongated. Based on mtCO1 data, this species and B. berbericola , appear to be distinct from

African B. afer ( Gill and Brown, 2010, see fig. 1.3 and 1.4, ref. TUBBZ). specimen and from B. afer by having a longer lingula and pore/porette combinations that are closer together. Like B. tuberculata , it does not show marginal crenulation thickenings at the ends of the tracheal folds. It is most commonly found on Oregon grape, Berberis aquifolium Pursh. (Berberidaceae) and

California laurel, Umbellularia california (Hook. and Arn.) (Lauraceae) , both smooth-leafed species, and so tuberculation is usually not pronounced (but see below). The species is under excellent biocontrol in the western U.S., and is thought to be native there. However, there are similar forms in eastern

Asia and India. It tends to have a longer lingula than some specimens of B. tuberculata and most specimens of African-origin afer group specimens. The lingular shape is more closely comparable with Asian specimens such as B. moringae (David and Subramanium) . (Figure reprinted by permission from Springer Science+Business Media B.V.). known which have an unusually elongated and narrow lingula. Whether this is a species level distinction or is environmentally induced is unknown. puparial characteristics. It is unusual compared to that species in that the pore/porette combinations are adjacent, although they are aligned with the porette closest to the margin, as they are in the afer groups. The specimen also has three pairs of pore/porette pairs on the first abdominal segment, and shows the development of some tuberculation on the anterior abdominal segment midlines and along the lateral edges of the dorsal disc. This specimen is from oak ( Quercus sp. ), which has a thick development of leaf hairs on the ventral surfaces. development of bead-like protuberances. The specimen is from Kings County, California on Quercus

sp., many species of which have very hirsute lower leaf surfaces in that habitat. This specimen also has adjacent pore/porette combinations like the specimen in Fig. 22. The variation seen in these oak specimens are probably due to the morphology of the leaf surfaces. (Figure reprinted by permission from Springer Science+Business Media B.V.). California specimens of B. berbericola . It is one of three specimens collected from two widely separated locations on Adenostoma fasciculatum Hook & Arn. (Rosaceae) . The leaflets of this plant are tiny and cylindrical, 4-10 mm long and 1 mm wide. The puparium is elongate in shape instead of ovoid/

circular as in B. berbericola , has an extremely long lingula, and the pore/porette combinations are sparse in the area between the submargin and the outer edges of the dorsal disc. There is a continuous row of pore/porettes along the submargin, and there are a few raised tuberculations. The variations here are apparently associated with the host leaf morphology. Whether this is a separate species from B. berbericola or adaptation to the leaf structure is not known.