Giant Whitefly (Aleurodicus dugesii)

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Photo by Annika

Published on Project Noah

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32.9764, -116.996

Field Notes

Description:

This adult whitefly was on the underside of a red hibiscus leaf and was approximately 1cm long. It was leaving a spiraling trail of eggs on the leaf and continued to work as I took photos.

Habitat:

Found on backyard shrubbery; red hibiscus bush (likely Hibiscus rosa-sinensis).

Notes:

Whiteflies are considered pests since feeding leads to growth of sooty black mold on the leaves of the plant. Hummingbirds are apparently a predator of these insects (I have a spotting of a hummingbird on the same plant, and the photos were taken within minutes of one another).