Around 7,000 species of plant-feeding mites are known worldwide, and about half of these are members of the superfamily Eriophyoidea (gall, bud, and rust mites). The other half are distributed within the superfamilies Tetranychoidea (spider, flat, and peacock mites), Tarsonemoidea (broad and cyclamen mites), and the lesser known bulb mites of the family Acaridae (Astigmata). In the United States, these groups include about 2,000 species. However, recent studies indicate that hundreds of species within the country, have yet to be discovered and described.

Plant-feeding mites play important roles as agricultural pests of timber, fruits, vegetables, forage crops, ornamentals, and stored grains. In many instances, lack of information about the correct identity of mites, as well as our lack of adequate knowledge regarding their biology and ecology, have hampered our ability to effectively combat these mite pests.

Their small size and cryptic appearance make mites difficult to detect and thus, infestations are often overlooked. Once established in a new area, certain biological characteristics allow rapid escalation to pest status. These include high egg production, various modes of reproduction (parthenogenesis, paedogenesis, and sexual), short life cycles, a myriad of dispersal techniques, and adaptability to diverse ecological conditions. These traits combined with an exponential increase in world trade have set the stage for potentially devastating situations that may threaten the sustainability of the world's agroecosystems.

 

SELECTED REFERENCES

Amrine, J. W., Jr. and T. A. Stasny. 1994. Catalog of the Eriophyoidea (Acarina: Prostigmata) of the world. Indira Publishing House, West Bloomfield, Michigan, USA. 798 pp.

Baker, E. W. and D. M. Tuttle. 1994. A guide to the spider mites (Tetranychidae) of the United States. Indira Publishing House, West Bloomfield, Michigan. 347 pp.

Baker E. W. and G. W. Wharton. 1952. An Introduction to Acarology. MacMillan Co. New York. 465 pp.

Baker E. W., T. Kono, J. W. Amrine Jr., M. Delfinado-Baker, and T.A. Stasny. 1996. Eriphyoid mites of the United States. Indira Publishing House, West Bloomfield, Michigan. 394 pp.

Bolland H. R., J. Gutierrez and C. H. W. Flechtmann. 1998. World catalogue of the spider mite family (Acari: Tetranychidae). Brill, Leiden. 392 pp.

Jeppson, L. R., H. H. Keifer and E. W. Baker. 1975. Mites injurious to economic plants. Univ. of California Press, Berkeley, xxiv, 614 pp.

Ochoa, R., H. Aguilar and C. Vargas.. 1994. Phytophagous mites of Central America: An illustrated guide. CATIE. Serie Tecnica, Manual Tecnico No. 6 Eng. ed. 234 p.

Ochoa, R., H. Aguilar, G. A. Evans and C. Vargas. 1996. Knowledge of phytophagous mites (Prostigmata) of Central America. IN Proceedings of the IX Acarology Congress, Eds. Mitchell, Horn, Needham & Welbourn, Ohio Biological Survey, Columbus 1994 (4.3):181-184.

Smiley, R. L., C. H. W. Flechtmann and R. Ochoa. 1993. A new species of Steneotarsonemus (Acari: Tarsonemidae) and an illustrated key to grass-infesting species in the Western Hemisphere. Internat. J. Acarol. 19(1): 87-93.

Smith-Meyer, M. K. P. 1996. Mite pest and their predators on cultivated plants in Southern Africa. Plant Protection Res. Ins. Handbook No.6, (South Africa) 90 pp.