Records of two citrus pest whiteflies in Japan with special reference to their mating sounds (Homoptera

A serious citrus pest, the ash whitefly, Siphoninus phillyreae Haliday, was first recorded in Honshu and Kyushu, Japan. The favored host plant is pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) from early summer to autumn. The adults migrate to a hedge plant (Photinia glabra (Thumb.) Maxim.) or rarely to a citrus plant (Citrus natsudaidai Hayata) before pomegranates shed their leaves in winter. Another citrus pest, the woolly whitefly, Aleurothrixus floccosus Maskell, was found from Nansei Islands to north of Tokunoshima Is., Japan. The distribution of these two pests and diagnostic features were detailed. Substrate-borne vibratory sounds produced during mating were elucidated, including new findings of male and female communication by reciprocal sound signals. It is suggested that the species-specific bioacoustic signals preserve useful information for the whitefly biosystematics of economic importance.