1USDA-ARS Biosciences Research Laboratory, 1605 Albrecht Boulevard, Fargo, ND, USA.
2Electron Microscopy Center, Plant Pathology Department., North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND-58105, USA.
3USDA-ARS Western Cotton Research Laboratory, 4135 E. Broadway, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
The silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii, and dustywing, Semidalis
flinti, begin producing copious amounts of waxy particles at emergence. Whitefly
particles are formed by specialized wax plates covering a major portion of the abdomen: 2
pairs on female and 4 pairs on male. The wax plates consist of numerous microtrichia from
which filaments are extruded. Dustywings have clusters of individual wax pores on the
abdomen, and pores on the head and antennal scape, each pore extruding dual ribbons of
waxy material.
Whiteflies form waxy particles by periodically raking their tibia across the wax
plates breaking off the extruding filaments. The filaments have a hook-like shape at the end
and when broken off form near-circular particles about 1 micrometer in diameter. The adult
periodically grooms itself, covering its body with white waxy particles that stick on the
velcro-like hairs on the body and wings. The formation of waxy particles by adult dustywings
occurs spontaneously. As the dual ribbons are extruded, the ends of the ribbons curl back
and touch the ribbon, then break off having formed a circular particle with fluted edges about
1 micrometer in diameter. The adult covers itself, except for its eyes, with these particles.
Waxy particles on adult whiteflies are composed of a mixture of long-chain aldehydes and
long-chain alcohols: major components have carbon chain lengths of 34 for B.
argentifolii and B. tabaci.Waxy particles from dustywings are mainly
composed of fatty acids (60%), predominantly, C24, tetracosanoic acid (56%).