Raoiella indica | |
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Adult Raoiella indica, an SEM image with false-color added | |
Scientific classification | |
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Species: | R. indica |
Binomial name | |
Raoiella indica Hirst, 1924 | |
Raoiella indica, commonly known as the red palm mite, is a species of mite belonging to the family Tenuipalpidae. A pest of several species of palm in the Middle East and South East Asia, it is now becoming established throughout the Caribbean. The invasion of this species is the biggest mite explosion ever observed in the Americas. [1]
This species is indigenous to Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Mauritius, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Réunion, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
It is considered an invasive species in Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, the US Virgin Islands, Grenada, [lower-alpha 1] Haiti and Jamaica. [2]
In 2007, the red palm mite was discovered in Florida. As of April, 2009, this pest has been found at almost 400 sites in five counties there.
This species can be distinguished from most other mites by its colour, flat body, long spatulate setae, and droplets on the dorsal body setae. There is also a noticeable absence of the webbing associated with numerous other spider mites. [3]
The red palm mite has a long, bright red, spatulate body. During all stages of life, this species is red, with adult females often showing black patches on their backs after feeding.
Red palm mite eggs are 0.12 mm long and 0.09 wide. The eggs are smooth and can be found in groups attached to the underside of leaves. [2]
Larvae are 0.18–.020 mm in length and only have three pairs of legs. Nymphs are 0.18–0.25 mm long.
Adults are approximately 0.32 mm long. Females are larger than males and have a triangular body.
The egg stage ranges from 6 to 9 days. Development from egg to adult ranges from 23 to 28 days for females, and 20 to 22 days for males. The red palm mite lives for about 26 days.
This mite has been found on 32 different palm species. In the Caribbean, this species also infests banana plants, heliconias and gingers.
Family | Location | Species | Common name |
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Palmae | Caribbean | Acoelorrhaphe wrightii , (Griseb.& H.A. Wendl.) | Everglades palm, paurotis palm |
Palmae | Florida | Adonidia merrilli , (Becc.) Becc. Veitchia H.A. Wendl.) | Manila palm, Christmas palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Areca catechu | betel nut palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Areca , spp. | |
Palmae | Florida | Aiphanes caryotifolia , (H.B.K.) H.A. Wendl. | Coyure palm, ruffle palm, spine palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Aiphanes , spp. Willd. | Multiple crown palm, ruffle palm |
Palmae | Florida | Archontophoenix alexandrae , (F. Muell.) | Alexander palm, king palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Bactris plumeriana , Mart. | coco macaco, prickly pole |
Palmae | Florida | Beccariophoenix madagascariensis , Jum. & H. Perrier | giant windowpane palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Bismarckia nobilis , Hildebr. & H.A. Wendl. | Bismarck palm |
Palmae | Florida | Butia capitata , (Mart) Becc. | pindo palm, jelly palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Caryota mitis , Lour. | fishtail palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Chamaedorea , spp. Willd. | chamaedorea palm |
Palmae | Florida | Coccothrinax miraguama , (H.B.K.) Becc. | Miraguama palm |
Palmae | Florida | Cocos nucifera , L. | coconut palm |
Palmae | Florida | Corypha umbraculifera , L. | Talipot palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Dictyosperma album , (Bory) H.A. Wendl. & Drude ex Scheff. | princess palm, hurricane palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Dypsis decaryi , (Jum.) Beentje & J. Dransf. | triangle palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Dypsis lutescens , (H.A. Wendl.) Beentje & J.Dransf. | areca palm, golden cane palm, butterfly palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Elaeis guineensis , Jacq. | African oil palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Licuala grandis , H.A. Wendl. | licuala palm, ruffled fan palm |
Palmae | Florida | Livistona , chinensis (Jacq.) R. Br. ex Mart. | Chinese fan palm |
Palmae | Florida | Phoenix canariensis , Hort. ex Chabaud | Canary Islands date palm |
Palmae | Florida | Phoenix dactylifera , L. | date palm |
Palmae | Florida | Phoenix reclinata , Jacq. | Senegal date palm |
Palmae | Florida | Phoenix roebelenii , O’Brien | pygmy date palm, roebelenii palm |
Palmae | Florida | Pritchardia pacifica , B.C. Seem. & H.A. Wendl. | Fiji fan palm |
Palmae | Florida | Pseudophoenix sargentii , H.A. Wendl. ex Sarg. | buccaneer palm, Sargent's cherry palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Pseudophoenix vinifera , (Mart.) Becc. | cacheo, katié, wine palm |
Palmae | Florida | Ptychosperma elegans , (R. Br.) Blume | solitaire palm, Alexander palm |
Palmae | Florida | Ptychosperma macarthurii , (H.A. Wendl.) Nichols | Macarthur palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Rhapis excelsa , (Thunb.) A. Henry | lady palm, bamboo palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Roystonea borinquena , O.F. Cook | Puerto Rico royal palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Roystonea regia , (HBK) O.F. Cook | Florida royal palm |
Palmae | Florida | Schippia concolor , Burret | silver pimento palm |
Palmae | Florida | Syagrus romanzoffiana , (Cham.) Glassman | queen palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Syagrus schizophylla , (Mart.) Glassman | arikury palm |
Palmae | Florida | Thrinax radiata , Lodd. ex J.A. & J.H. Schultes | Florida thatch palm |
Palmae | Florida | Veitchia , spp. H.A. Wendl. | Manila palm |
Palmae | Caribbean | Washingtonia filifera , (Lind. ex André) H.A. Wendl. | fan palm |
Palmae | Florida | Washingtonia robusta , H.A. Wendl. | Mexican fan palm |
Palmae | Florida | Wodyetia bifurcata , A.K. Irvine | foxtail palm |
Musaceae | Caribbean | Heliconia bihai , (L.) L. | Macaw flower |
Musaceae | Caribbean | Heliconia caribaea , Lam. | wild plantain, Balisier |
Musaceae | Caribbean | Heliconia psittacorum , L. f. | parrot flower |
Musaceae | Caribbean | Heliconia rostrata , Ruiz & Pavon | lobster claw heliconia |
Musaceae | Florida | Heliconia , spp. | |
Musaceae | Caribbean | Musa acuminata , Colla | edible banana, plantain |
Musaceae | Caribbean | Musa balbisiana , Colla | wild banana |
Musaceae | Caribbean | Musa coccinea Andrews | red-flowering banana |
Musaceae | Caribbean | Musa corniculata , Rumph. | red banana |
Musaceae | Florida | Musa , spp. | banana, plantain |
Musaceae | Caribbean | Musa acuminata × balbisiana , L. | edible banana, plantain |
Musaceae | Caribbean | Ravenala madagascariensis , Sonn. | traveler's tree |
Musaceae | Caribbean | Strelitzia reginae , Aiton | bird of paradise, crane flower |
Pandanaceae | Caribbean | Pandanus utilis , Bory | screw pine |
Zingiberaceae | Caribbean | Alpinia purpurata , (Vieill.) K. Schum. | red ginger, jungle king/queen |
Zingiberaceae | Florida | Alpinia zerumbet , (Pers.) B.L. Burtt & R.M. Sm. | shell ginger, pink porcelain lily |
Zingiberaceae | Caribbean | Etlingera elatior , (Jack.) R.M. Sm. | red torch ginger |
The red palm mite forms colonies on the undersides of leaves. There, they feed on the contents of the cells of the leaves. This feeding can cause localized yellowing of the leaves.
Adults are usually visible to the naked eye.
Like most other plant feeding mites, this species disperses on the wind. Tropical storms and hurricanes can distribute this mite over wide areas.
Chemical control is considered impractical due to the large size of most palms. Some biological control agents have proven useful in the Eastern Hemisphere, including predatory mites, beetles, lacewings and other mite predators.
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Spider mites are members of the Acari (mite) family Tetranychidae, which includes about 1,200 species. They generally live on the undersides of leaves of plants, where they may spin protective silk webs, and they can cause damage by puncturing the plant cells to feed. Spider mites are known to feed on several hundred species of plants.
Varroa is a genus of parasitic mites associated with honey bees, placed in its own family, Varroidae. The genus was named for Marcus Terentius Varro, a Roman scholar and beekeeper. The condition of a honeybee colony being infested with Varroa mites is called varroosis.
The peacock mites of the genus Tuckerella are a significant herbivorous pest in the tropics, for example on citrus fruit. Other species dwell in grasses, possibly as root feeders.
The Phytoseiidae are a family of mites which feed on thrips and other mite species. They are often used as a biological control agent for managing mite pests. Because of their usefulness as biological control agents, interest in phytoseiids has steadily increased over the past century. In 1950, there were 34 known species. Today, there are 2,731 documented species.
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Lorryia formosa, commonly known as the yellow mite or the citrus yellow mite, is a species of acariform mite. They are in the subfamily Tydeinae of the family Tydeidae. Commonly found on the foliage of citrus trees around the world, Lorryia formosa also associates with a variety of other plant types. The life cycle includes six discrete stages of development, and the lifespan averages about 37 days. The females of the species use an asexual form of reproduction where the growth and development of embryos occurs without fertilization by a male, a process called thelytoky.
Tenuipalpidae, also called flat mites or false spider mites, are a family of mites, closely related to the Tetranychidae. They are reddish and slow-moving and normally feed near the midrib or veins on the underside of leaves. Several species, among them Raoiella indica, are important crop pests. Other common species include Acaricis urigersoni and the Brevipalpus species B. phoenicis, B. californicus, B. obovatus, and B. lewisi.
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Brevipalpus phoenicis, also known as the false spider mite, red and black flat mite, and in Australia as the passionvine mite, is a species of mite in the family Tenuipalpidae. This species occurs globally, and is a serious pest to such crops as citrus, tea, papaya, guava and coffee, and can heavily damage numerous other crops. They are unique in having haploid females, a condition caused by a bacterium that change haploid males into females.
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Bryobia is a genus of mites in the spider mite family, Tetranychidae. The taxonomy of the genus is difficult. The genus has been revised several times. It is difficult to distinguish these tiny species from each other on the basis of morphological characters, and there is little agreement on which characteristics are of importance. Also, species can be variable in morphology. Over 130 species have been described, but many of the names are likely synonyms.
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Aceria tosichella, commonly known as the wheat curl mite (WCM), is a global cereal pest and a vector for spreading and transmission of viruses like wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) and wheat mosaic virus (WMoV)
Abrolophus mirabelae is a species of mite belonging to the family Erythraeidae. It belongs to the group of species that have comb-like setae.
Chaetodactylus krombeini,, was described by Karl Krombein and E. W. Baker in the 1960s. The mites are about 0.5 mm across, with the females larger than the males. Pollen mites are a kleptoparasitic pest of Megachilid solitary bees, with Ch. krombeini found with Osmia lignaria of North America,. Pollen mites do not feed on bees, but rather their provisions, and are harmful because they consume the food resources and starve or stunt the developing larvae; there is evidence that pollen mites also directly harm the egg by puncturing it.
Magdalena Kathrina Petronella Smith Meyer was a South African acarologist who was regarded as a world authority on plant-feeding mites of agricultural importance and was known as the "mother of red-spider mites of the world". She described more than 700 new species and 25 new genera, mostly of mites of agricultural importance. Meyer was involved in the promotion of biological control of mites using predatory mites, spiders and insects.
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