Development of a monoclonal antibody to detect predation of the sweetpotato whitefly,Bemisia tabaci

We have developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of whitefly antigen in the guts of predaceous arthropods based on a monoclonal antibody (MAb) produced in response toBemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) egg antigen. We observed positive antigen-antibody reactions with the egg and the adult female stages of certain whitefly species and not with others. This MAb did not cross-react with any of the whitefly nymphs or adult males we tested. Moreover, this MAb did not cross-react with the various life stages of other insect species we examined. This immunologically-based technique to identify whitefly egg facilitates examinations of predator gut contents in the field. Such a specific and sensitive whitefly egg immunoassay will expedite the characterization of theB. tabaci predator complex in the southwestern United States.