Silverleaf whitefly: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the silverleaf whitefly lives – recorded in 46 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Bemisia tabaci
Group	Grasshoppers, bugs & other insects
Found in	46 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America
Diet (main food)	tomato
Class	Insect
Order	Hemiptera
Family	Aleyrodidae

Where does the silverleaf whitefly live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the silverleaf whitefly in 46 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. In Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Spain, France, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What does a silverleaf whitefly eat?

Wikidata lists the main food source of the silverleaf whitefly as: tomato.

What kind of animal is the silverleaf whitefly?

The silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is an insect in the order Hemiptera and the family Aleyrodidae, genus Bemisia. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the silverleaf whitefly

The silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci, also informally referred to as the sweet potato whitefly and cotton whitefly) is one of several species of whitefly that are currently important agricultural pests. A review in 2011 concluded that the silverleaf whitefly is actually a species complex containing at least 40 morphologically indistinguishable species.

The silverleaf whitefly thrives worldwide in tropical, subtropical, and less predominately in temperate habitats. Cold temperatures kill both the adults and the nymphs of the species. The silverleaf whitefly can be confused with other insects such as the common fruitfly, but with close inspection, the whitefly is slightly smaller and has a distinct wing color that helps to differentiate it from other insects.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Silverleaf whitefly (revision 1310592735), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q1303946 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).