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 to Bemisia 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 the B. tabaci predator complex in the southwestern United States.