Aleurochiton forbesii is a whitefly species found in the eastern United States and Canada. It is a parasite of maple trees and occasionally hollies.[1]
There are two broods of pupae each year. Puparia of the first, in the early summer, are nearly colorless; puparia of overwintering individuals, most visible in the fall on the underside of leaves, have a distinctive brown pigmented pattern. These puparia are raised on a vertical fringe of whitish wax, which varies in height as the individuals age; mature individuals can have fringes with heights nearly two-thirds that of the diameter of the puparium.[2][3]
Adults have a generally yellow body, with paler legs and antennae, and unmarked white wings with venation typical for Aleurochiton.[2]
Distribution
Aleurochiton forbesii is commonly found on silver maple, red maple, and sometimes Norway maple. It has also been reported on two holly species–Ilex coriacea and Ilex glabra.[1] Its range stretches south to Georgia and Mississippi, north to New Brunswick and Ontario, and west to Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri.[2][4]
Ecology
In the fall, puparia fall to the ground on dead leaves, yielding adult whiteflies in the spring.[3] It has not been known to become abundant enough to injure its host plants, unlike the closely related European Aleurochiton aceris.[2]
The species can be parasitized by Amitus aleurodinis, a small parasitoid wasp in the Platygastridae family.[1]
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