Covidaleyrodes, Dubey & Evans, 2025

Dubey, Anil Kumar & Evans, Gregory A., 2025, Covidaleyrodes flos, a new whitefly genus and species (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) infesting an endemic woody climber, Artabotrys speciosus (Magnoliales: Annonaceae) in the Andaman Islands, India, Zootaxa 5620 (2), pp. 379-388 : 381

Genus Covidaleyrodes gen. nov.

Type species: Covidaleyrodes flos sp. nov., by original and present designation. Gender: masculine.

Diagnosis. Puparium black; oval; with secretion of wax around body margin. Margin lobulate. Thoracic and caudal tracheal pores present. Submargin completely separated from the dorsal disc by a furrow. Longitudinal and transverse moulting sutures reaching submarginal furrow. Pro-meso- and meso-metathoracic sutures faint. Abdominal segment sutures faintly visible, restricted to submedian area only. Thoracic and caudal tracheal furrows absent, but folds present. Abdominal segment VII not reduced medially. Vasiform orifice subcordate; operculum subcordate, entirely covering the orifice and concealing the lingula. Pore/porette pairs present. Pockets discontinuous on abdominal segment VIII ( Fig. 4G ). Antennae extending laterally across prothoracic leg bases. Spiracles and adhesive sacs visible.

Chaetotaxy. Cephalic setae ( Fig. 4H ), first abdominal ( Fig. 4I , 6D ) and eighth abdominal setae present, the latter located cephalolateral to vasiform orifice ( Figs 3C , 6F ). Caudal setae absent. Submarginal setae present.

Etymology. The genus is named after the ‘Covid-19’ virus pandemic that caused much devastation throughout the world and which occurred during the writing of this paper, and made of the suffix - aleyrodes (from Greek ἄλευρον = flour, in link with the white pruinosity covering whiteflies), a common suffix for genera in Aleyrodinae .

Remarks. Covidaleyrodes is placed in the Aleyrodinae tribe Dialeurodini as proposed by David (1990), characterized as having thoracic and caudal tracheal pores, eighth abdominal segment not trilobed, and vasiform orifice subcordate in shape and not elevated. Puparia of the new genus resemble those of Sphericaleyrodes Selvakumaran & David, 1996 in colour, shape and their broad submargin, but differ in that vasiform orifice is not elevated, first abdominal pair of setae are present, tracheal pore openings are C-shaped and deeply invaginated at the margin, meso- and metathoracic setae are absent, abdominal segments are rhachisform and there is a submarginal furrow entirely separating dorsal disc ( Fig. 6A ) (submarginal ridge in Sphericaleyrodes ). Covidaleyrodes gen. nov. also differs from Crescentaleyrodes David & Jesudasan, 1987 in lacking a submarginal ridge and crescent-shaped submarginal wax glands; from Aleurolobus in the shape of vasiform orifice and tracheal opening, and from Margaritaplena Dubey, 2020 in lacking pouch-like structures filled with microtubercles in the tracheal pore opening areas. The new genus differs from Dialeurodes in having lateral margin lobulate, longitudinal moulting suture reaching the submargin, and lacking a caudal furrow, faint cephalothoracic inter-segmental sutures and a comb of teeth on the inner margin of vasiform orifice.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Covidaleyrodes flos gen. et sp. nov., line drawings, holotype (HT) and paratype (PT) puparia, female: A, dorsal view (HT); B, margin (HT); C, vasiform orifice and caudal area (HT); D, ventral surface (PT); E, prothoracic leg and antenna (PT); F, ventral setae of eighth abdominal segment (PT).

FIGURE 4. Covidaleyrodes flos gen. et sp. nov., holotype (HT) and paratype (PT) puparia, female: A, dorsal and ventral views (HT); B, thoracic tracheal pore (HT); C, margin (PT); D, submarginal ridges (PT); E, caudal tracheal pore (PT); F, cephalothorax (HT); G, abdominal area (HT); H, cephalic setae (HT); I, first abdominal setae (HT); J, subdorsal corrugations (HT); K, vasiform orifice (HT). Arrow indicates pockets on abdominal segment VIII.

FIGURE 6. Covidaleyrodes flos gen. et sp. nov., SEM images, paratype puparium: A, dorsal view; B, margin; C, thoracic tracheal pore; D, first abdominal segment; E, vasiform orifice; F, eighth abdominal seta; G, caudal tracheal pore.