Occurrence of a Newly Recorded Whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Infesting Phoebe sheareri in China

Pealius kufriensis Dubey is a newly recorded species to China, which was originally described from Western Himalaya, India, by Dubey and Singh in 2021. It was collected from Phoebe sheareri (Lauraceae) in Zhejiang Province. The puparium of Pealius kufriensis is redescribed and illustrated by line art, photomicrographs, and scanning electron microscope photographs. Puparia closely resemble Pealius rubi Takahashi in setation and vasiform orifice, but the 2 species differ in subdorsal and abdominal setae. Leaves from which the specimens were collected were infested with 300 to 400 puparia per leaf. Sooty mold had grown in the sap deposited by the pests, thus, reducing photosynthetic activity in the leaves. The known distribution of Pealius kufriensis is in China (Zhejiang) and India. Host plants are reportedly Phoebe sheareri (Lauraceae) and Rubus ellipticus Smith (Rosaceae). This represents the first record of Pealius kufriensis in China and on Phoebe sheareri. All specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection of Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University (Lin'an, Zhejiang, China).