The morphology, physiology, behaviour and ecology of spiralling whitefly, Aleurodicus dispersus Russell (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on different host plants differ greatly. The genetic differences between the A. dispersus populations on 17 host plants were evaluated in the current study. Microsatellite markers were used to identify the presence of host-related genetic variation among A. dispersus populations. Our research clearly shows that there is a significant amount of genetic divergence among the A. dispersus populations on 17 host plants in India. The spiralling whitefly on acalypha and calotropis were genetically more distinct than whiteflies on other host plants. Various population genetic parameters, like heterozygosity, Nei's genetic distance, fixation indices (FST), source of genetic variation in AMOVA, etc. indicate that populations of spiralling whiteflies differ greatly genetically, probably because the spiralling whitefly populations on the Indian sub-continent came from multiple sources. The results of this study have implications for the quarantine protection strategy against this invasive pest.
Aleurodicus dispersus Russell (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a highly polyphagous species, has since the 90's been an important pest of ornamentals and tropical crops in the Canary Islands. In this study the RAPD-PCR technique was used to study the genetic structure of this whitefly in this archipelago. A total of 68 different bands were scored in seven populations using six primers for amplification. No differences in RAPD patterns were found among populations from different islands of the Canaries. These findings indicate a very high genetic similarity among populations and low level of genetic variability and support a single colonization event by few A. dispersus whiteflies and recent dispersion throughout the archipelago.