The sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) is a destructive pest of agriculture and horticulture worldwide. Recent phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 sequences indicates that this whitefly is a species complex including at least 24 morphologically indistinguishable but genetically distinct cryptic species. In this study, the inter-species crosses of Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1), Mediterranean (MED) and Asia II 7 cryptic species, which were referred to as B, Q and Cv biotypes before, were conducted in two different devices, leaf cages (7 cm3) and cylinder cages (280 cm3), and at three temperatures of 22, 30 and 38°C. Results indicated that no female progeny were produced in the reciprocal cross between MEAM1×Asia II 7, between MED×Asia II 7 cryptic species neither in leaf cage nor in cylinder cages, while 0.81 and 1.37% of females in the offspring were recorded in the reciprocal cross between MEAM1×MED in leaf cage experiments. Approximately 0.95-0.98% female progeny were recorded in the reciprocal cross between MEAM1×MED at 30°C, 0.77% female progeny were recorded in the single cross direction between MEAM1 × MED at 22°C, and no female progeny were found in their reciprocal cross at 38°C in leaf cage. Our findings indicated that neither space dimension nor temperature have a significant effect on the hybridization of different B. tabaci cryptic species.

The blue gum chalcid, Leptocybe invasa Fisher & La Salle, invaded China in 2007 and has subsequently caused substantial damage to eucalyptus trees. In the current paper, we investigated the susceptibility of 10 Eucalyptus spp. and Eucahetus dunnii to L. invasa in the field, determined the density of galls as well as the gall volume on these tree species, and monitored the population dynamics of wasps in Hainan and Guangdong provinces of China. The order of susceptibility to L. invasa was Eucalyptus urophylla×Eucalyptus camaldulensis>E. urophylla (coppices)>Eucalyptus exserta> Eucalyptus grandis×E. urophylla in Hainan, and Eucalyptus propinqua>Eucalyptus saligna>E. exserta>Eucalyptus microcorys>Eucahetus dunnii>E. camaldulensis>Eucalyptus tereticornis>Eucalyptus robust in Guangdong, China. Although L. invasa generally damages the midribs and petioles of young leaves and the tender bark of twigs of eucalyptus, galls were not observed on leaves of E. microcorys, E. camaldulensis, or E. dunnii. Gall volume significantly differed among the tree species, and gall volume and wasp number were positively correlated. In Dongfang, Hainan Province, the overwintering period of L. invasa emergencing through the year was from the end of December to March of the next year, and the number of population was the greatest on E. urophylla×E. camaldulensis, and the smallest on E. grandis×E. urophylla. In Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, L. invasa hardly emerged in winter from December to June of the next year, and the population was the greatest on E. propinqua, and the smallest on E. microcorys.