Electrophoretic analysis of non-B and B-biotype Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Australia

B-type Bemisia tabaci were detected in Australia for the first time in October 1994. The whiteflies were distinguished from an existing non B-type strain of B. tabaci by electrophoretic analysis of naphthyl esterases in individual whiteflies. The distinctive isoenzyme profile was consistent with B-type populations from other areas of the world. Individuals heterozygous for both patterns were also detected using this technique, confirming that the B-type and Australian strain could interbreed. An Australia-wide survey showed that B-types were widely distributed in New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. The B-type was also detected in Tasmania. The origins of the B-type and the implications for Australian agriculture, should it become an established pest on key crops, are discussed.