Pallidus beetle, Delphastus pallidus LeConte

Genus Delphastus Casey are small whitefly-specific predatory ladybird beetles belonging to the coccinellid tribe Serangiini. They feed on all immature stages of whitefly and are reared and sold commercially all over the world for this purpose. Many of these beetles are compatible with the application of parasitoids since their larvae and adults avoid feeding on parasitized whitefly nymphs (Cloyd 2001). Within this genus, there are species which are well-known biocontrol agents of multiple whitefly species such as Delphastus catalinae (Horn) [formerly known as D. pusillus (LeConte)], D. davidsoni (Gordon) and D. pallidus (LeConte).

However, for the last six decades, there has been little information published on D. pallidus (LeConte), a native species to Florida (Gordon 1970; Muma 1955). In the past, its population has been low in Florida agro-ecosystem. However, it has recently been found consistently in relatively high populations on ficus hedges infested by ficus whitefly, Singhiella simplex (Singh), at different locations in Miami-Dade County, Florida (Ahmed et al. unpublished data) (Figs. 1–2).

In a recent survey to assess the host range of D. pallidus, it was found feeding on silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (also known as B biotype/MEAM1); solanum or pepper whitefly, Aleurotrachelus trachoides Back; bondar’s nesting whitefly, Paraleyrodes bondari Peracchi; and cloudy-winged whitefly, Dialeurodes citrifolii Morgan (Figs. 1–2). Survey results indicated that D. pallidus could potentially be used for controlling multiple whitefly pests of horticultural importance in the region (Fig. 1).