title: First report on the whitefly, Aleurodicus pseudugesii on the coconut palm, Cocos nucifera in Brazil.
abstract: The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera L. (Arecales: Arecaceae), is currently grown extensively throughout the intertropical zones of the world, including Brazil, where it constitutes an important source of income for growers. Although whiteflies are not normally considered coconut pests, these insects can damage crops directly by sucking the sap, which weakens the plant; indirect damage may be caused by sooty mold formation over the excreted honeydew and by the transmission of pathogens. Whiteflies have infested coconut plants in the northeastern, northern, and southeastern regions of Brazil. Infested materials were collected and the causative insect was identified as Aleurodicus pseudugesii Martin (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). This is the first report of A. pseudugesii in Brazil as a pest of the coconut palm.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Av. Lourival Melo Mota, s/n, Tabuleiro do Martins, 7 57072-970, Maceió, AL, Brasil. rosepaulamendonca@ig.com.br
authors.forename: Rose Paula Mendonça
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: de Omena
authors.forename: Elio Cesar
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Guzzo
authors.forename: Joana Maria Santos
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Fernando Antônio Cavalcante
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: de Mendonça
authors.forename: Aurino Florencio
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: de Lima
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Racca-Filho
authors.forename: Antônio Euzébio Goulart
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Santana
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D003059:Cocos; D020387:Food Chain; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology*; D009758:Nymph / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D010063:Ovum / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011679:Pupa / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology