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Fig whitefly
Singhiella simplex
Fig. 1. Singhiella simplex adult female (left), with a dark yellow body and faint greyish bands on the wings, and
mature fourth-larval instar or puparium (right), with conspicuous red eye spots, on Ficus © Fera
Singhiella simplex (Singh, 1931) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is an Asian species that feeds exclusively
on figs, causing damage to plants both directly by its feeding and indirectly due to the associated
sooty moulds growing on honeydew excreted by the larval stages. It is commonly known as ‘fig
whitefly’ or ‘mosca blanca del ficus’ in Spanish. It was originally described from specimens collected
from Ficus bengalensis in Pusa, India and has recently been introduced to North and South America,
the Caribbean and Israel. It can cause complete defoliation and dieback of branches of ornamental
figs. The literature pertaining to this whitefly was recently reviewed by Kondo & Evans (2013) and
much of the information in this fact sheet is based on their work.
Geographical distribution
Singhiella simplex is native to Southeast Asia and has recently been introduced to the Americas and
the Mediterranean.
Asia: Burma; China; India (Evans, 2008).
North America: USA (California, Florida, 2007) (Mannion et al., 2008, Mannion, 2010).
South America: Brazil (Velasco et al., 2011; Colombia (Kondo & Evans, 1913).
Caribbean: Cayman Islands; Jamaica; Puerto Rico (Kondo & Evans, 2013).
Palearctic: Israel (2013) (Kondo & Evans, 2013).
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Fig. 2 Singhiella simplex eggs © Fera Fig. 3 Singhiella simplex first instar © Fera
Fig. 4 Singhiella simplex second instar © Fera Fig. 5 Singhiella simplex fourth-larval instar or
puparium © Fera
Fig. 6 Singhiella simplex adult emerging from pupal
case © Fera
Fig. 7. Singhiella simplex empty pupal case © Fera
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Fig. 8 Singhiella simplex pupal cases on Ficus © Fera Fig. 9 Singhiella simplex adult female laying eggs ©
Fera
Fig. 10 Ficus binnendijkii leaf infested with Singhiella simplex showing sooty mould growing on excreted honey
dew © Fera
Fig. 11 Ficus hedge in Florida defoliated by Singhiella simplex © 2011 JP Miller & Sons Services
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Fig. 12 Singhiella simplex parasitized puparium ©
Fera
Fig. 13 Singhiella simplex puparium with parasitoid
wasp emergence hole © Fera
Fig. 14 Singhiella citrifolii pupal case © Fera Fig. 15 Dialeurodes citri puparium © Fera
Fig. 16 Bemisia tabaci puparium © Fera Fig. 17 Trialeurodes vaporariorum puparium © Fera
Host plants
Singhiella simplex is oligophagous on Ficus, and exhibits a preference for weeping fig F. benjamina. It
has also been recorded on Rhododendron indica (L.) Sweet. (Ericaceae) but this needs confirmation.
Moraceaea: F. aurea Nutt (strangler fig), F. altissima Blume (council tree), F. bengalensis L.
(Indian banyan), F. benjamina L. (weeping fig), F. binnendijkii (long leaf or sabre fig) (new
host plant), F. lyrata Warb. (fiddle-leaf fig), F. microcarpa L. (Cuban laurel), F. maclellandii
King (banana-leaf fig) and F. racemosa L. [= F. glomerata Roxb.] (Kondo & Evans, 2013).
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Description
The adult whiteflies (1.4-1.6 mm) are a deep yellow with conspicuous red eyes (Figs 1 and 9). Their
wings are cream-coloured with faint grey bands on each wing (Figs 1 and 9), which are easily visible
with a x10 hand lens. The adults are very active and readily fly when disturbed. The eggs are ‘kidney’
shaped in lateral view, yellow to light brown, and attached to the host plant by a thin stalk (Fig. 2).
The eggs are laid in dense groups, mostly adjacent to the mid vein and near the base of the leaf. The
first, second and third larval instars are almost translucent and difficult to spot (Figs. 3-4). The
puparia (1.3 mm long and 1.0 mm aide) (Figs 1 and 5-8) are oval, translucent to pale yellow, with the
adult red eye spots becoming conspicuous with maturity (Figs 1 and 5). One unusual feature is that
the eggs and larval stages occur on both the lower and upper surfaces of the foliage (the larval
stages of most whitefly species only occur on the lower surface).
Several other whitefly species may also be found on Ficus in the Mediterranean but none in such
large populations or with adults with the characteristic grey bands on their forewings (Fig. 1):
Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (tobacco or sweet potato whitefly) (Fig. 16), Dialeurodes citri (Ashmead)
(citrus whitefly) (Fig. 15), Singhiella citrifolii (Morgan) (cloudy-winged whitefly) (Fig. 14) and
Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (glasshouse whitefly) (Fig. 17).
Pest biology, dispersal and detection
All whiteflies have six developmental stages: egg; four larval stages, the fourth larval stage being
known as the puparium; and the adult. The biology of Singhiella simplex has been recently studied
by Legaspi et al. (2011). The total duration of the immature stages varies from 97.1 days at 15°C to
25.2 days at 30°C the adults live 8 days at 15°C, 4.2 days at 25°C, and 2.5 days at 30°C. A large
number of natural enemies have been recorded for S. simplex including: the parasitoids Encarsia
tricolor Foerster (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) (Evans, 2008; Hodges, 2007), Encarsia protransvena
Viggiani and Amitus bennetti Viggiani & Evans (Platygastridae); the lacewing predators Chrysopa spp.
(Neuroptera: Chrysopidae): and the ladybird predators Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera:
Coccinellidae), Olla-v-nigrum (Mulsant), Exochomus children Mulsant, Chilocorus nigritis (F.), and
Curinus coeruleus (Mulsant) (Mannion, 2010). Various enzootic pathogenic fungi have also been
isolated from S. simplex in Florida, namely Isaria fumosorosea Wize, Paecilomyces lilacinus Thorn
(Samson), and Lecanicillium sp., Fusarium sp., and Aspergillus sp. (Avery et al., 2011).
Adult whiteflies are winged and capable of flight, but they are poor fliers and natural dispersal is
limited. The eggs and larvae may be distributed over long distances in plant trade.
Infestations of S. simplex are likely to be easy to detect since severely infested Ficus plants shed
many of their leaves and appear defoliated (Fig. 11). They also exhibit significant chlorosis (yellowing
of the leaves) and the leaves may be spotted with black sooty mould growing on the excreted
honeydew (Fig. 10). There may also be small clouds of tiny white, gnat-like adult whiteflies flying
from the foliage which are easily observed when branches of infested plants are shaken.
Economic importance and damage
Singhiella simplex is an economic pest of Ficus spp. in the USA (Florida), India, Brazil and Israel
(Kondo & Evans, 2013). Feeding by the whitefly causes yellowing of leaves, severe defoliation and
branch dieback, and high populations are able to stunt the growth of young trees. The impact in the
Mediterranean is potentially large due to the abundance of Ficus as ornamental plants. However, it
is important to note that there are no published records of the whitefly attacking the common fig
Ficus carica L.
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References
Avery, P. B., C. M. Mannion, C. A. Powell, C. L. McKenzie & L. S. Osborne. 2011. Natural enemies
managing the invasion of the fig whitefly, Singhiella simplex (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), infesting
a Ficus benjamina Hedge. Florida Entomologist 94 (3): 696-698.
Kondo, T. & Evans, G. A. 2013. Singhiella simplex (Singh) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a new aleyrodid
invasive species for Colombia. Boletín del Museo de Entomología de la Universidad del Valle 13
(2): 31-33.
Evans G. A. 2008. The whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) of the world and their host plants and
natural enemies. USDA/Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Last Revised:
September 23, 2008, 703 pp.
Hodges, G. 2007. The fig whitefly Singhiella simplex (Singh) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae): a new exotic
whitefly found on Ficus species in south Florida. Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department
of Agriculture and Consumer Services, http://www.freshfromflorida.com/pi/pest-
alerts/singhiella-simplex.html (accessed on 12/10/2014).
Legaspi, J. S., C. Mannion, D. Amalin & B. C. Legaspi Jr. 2011. Life table analysis and development of
Singhiella simplex (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) under different constant temperatures. Annals of
the Entomological Society of America 104 (3): 451-458.
Mannion, C. 2010. Whiteflies in the landscape. University of Florida, IFAS Extension Bulletin, Nov.,
2010.
http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/mannion/pdfs/Whitefly%20in%20the%20Landscape%20%20Nov2010.pd
f (accessed on 12/10/2014).
Mannion, C., L. Osborne, A. Hunsberger, H. Mayer & G. Hodges. 2008. Ficus whitefly: A new pest in
South Florida. University of Florida, IFAS Extension Bulletin, August 2008. http://miami-
dade.ifas.ufl.edu/Pests_HT.shtml (accessed on 12/10/2014).
Velasco, G. D. N., R.G. Moura, E. Berti Filho & H. T. Z. do Couto. 2011. Avaliaҫão da infestaҫão por
Singhiella simplex (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) em Ficus benjamina no município de São Paulo, SP,
Brasil. Revista de Agricultura, 86 (2): 134-131.
Singh, K. 1931. A contribution towards our knowledge of the Aleyrodidae (Whiteflies) of India.
Memoirs of the Department of Agriculture in India, 12: 1-98.
Author: Chris Malumphy
Address: The Food and Environment Research Agency, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ, UK. Email:
chris.malumphy@fera.gsi.gov.uk
Date: 23/10/2014 Version 2
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