Species diversity and distribution patterns of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) from various agricultural crops in Tunisia

Abstract

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a worldwide pest considered to be a complex of cryptic species. Until 2010, the B. tabaci complex comprised 24 distinct putative species. Recently, at least 15 new species have been reported. The objective of this study was to identify B. tabaci species present in different vegetable crops and on two ornamental plants in Tunisia. The genetic identity of 146 whitefly populations was determined by PCR-RFLP analysis of the COI gene and revealed that only MEAM1 and MED species have been found in Tunisia. Among them, MEAM1 species was dominant in 96 populations (100.0%), MED was dominant in 34 populations (100.0%) and the 16 remaining were a mixed populations. Species differentiation between localities was not significant, however, strong differences in the species dynamics were recorded according to host plants type. Thus, the MEAM1 species was resulted largely predominant on vegetable crops (86.7%), whereas MED was consistently found on ornamental plants (97.3%).