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. 2024 Dec 6;15(12):972.
doi: 10.3390/insects15120972.

Eriophyes pouteriae sp. nov., a New Mite Species Infesting Pouteria sapota

Marcello De Giosa  1 , Enrico de Lillo  2 , Aline D Tassi  1 , Alexandra M Revynthi  1 , Daniel J de Andrade  3 , Ronald Ochoa  4 , Xiangbing Yang  5 , Daniel Carrillo  1
Affiliations

Eriophyes pouteriae sp. nov., a New Mite Species Infesting Pouteria sapota

Marcello De Giosa et al. Insects. .

Abstract

Pouteria sapota, or "mamey sapote", is a tropical fruit tree native to Central America and Southern Mexico, producing sweet, nutrient and vitamin-rich fruit. Several insect pests are known to infest P. sapota, but none have been associated with plant growth alterations. Eriophyoid mites are well known to cause plant malformations, but mites that cause this type of damage to mamey sapote have not been reported. Trees with abnormal leaf growth, including stunted leaves, outward curling, leaf yellowing, and diminishing overall tree vigor, were found in multiple locations in Southern Florida and one location in Brazil. Numerous plant samples were examined for the presence of minute eriophyoid-like mites, and a new species was found. It was morphologically described, and DNA fragments of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), the nuclear subunit D2 region in 28S rDNA, and the ITS nuclear regions were PCR-amplified and sequenced. Morphological and molecular descriptions of the new species, named E. pouteriae sp. nov., are provided to aid the identification and future detection of this mite. Even though several species within the genus Eriophyes have been reported on other Sapotaceae species, this is the first eriophyoid mite known to be associated with mamey sapote.

Keywords: Eriophyidae; Eriophyinae; bud mites Eriophyoidea; mamey sapote; molecular markers; morphological description.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Eriophyes pouteriae sp. nov. found in five Pouteria sapota commercial orchards distributed throughout the Redland agricultural area in Homestead, FL. (site 1: 25°30′33.8976″, −80°30′25.2648″; site 2: 25°34′28.347″, −80°31′7.881″; site 3: 25°25′23.199″, −80°30′51.4008″; site 4: 25°33′53.0094″, −80°24′35.697″; site 5: 25°30′25.527″, −80°30′1.0332″).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Line drawings of Eriophyes pouteriae sp. nov.: AD. Prodorsal shield; AL. Lateral view of anterior body region; CG. Female coxigenital region; em. Empodium; IG. Internal female genitalia; LO. Lateral view of annuli; L1. Leg I; PM. Lateral view of posterior opisthosoma. Scale bar: 10 μm for AD, AL, CG, IG, PM; 5 μm for LO, L1; 2.5 μm for em.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scanning electron microscope images of adult female of Eriophyes pouteriae sp. nov.: (a,b) dorsal view, scales 50 µm and 30 µm, respectively; (c,e) lateral view, scales 50 µm and 30 µm, respectively; (d) coxigenital region, scale 20 µm; (f) female hiding within the trichomes of a plant bud, scale 200 µm.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Pouteria sapota infested by Eriophyes pouteriae sp. nov. (a,c) and healthy (b,d): (a,b) detail of new leaves; (c,d) detail of branches of the tree.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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