Evolutionary origin of whiteflies (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae) inferred from 18S rDNA sequences

Phylogenetic analysis of 18S rDNA nucleotide sequences of hemipteran exemplars shows Sternorrhyncha (psyllids, whiteflies, aphids and scales) is monophyletic and forms a sister group to all other hemipterans (Euhemiptera). Whiteflies form a sister group to all other Sternorrhyncha. Primary structures of 18S rDNAs of all sternorrhynchans are exceptionally long (approximately 2200 to approximately 2500 bp) due to internal expansions. These expansions are a synapomorphy of Sternorrhyncha; other hemipterans possess shorter 18S rDNAs (approximately 1900 to approximately 1925 bp). The 18S rDNA of whiteflies is the longest recorded to date and has a base substitution rate of approximately 3 times greater than Euhemiptera taxa examined. The relevance of these findings to the fossil record, feeding strategies, reproductive biologies, and geoclimatic distribution is discussed.