Hosts of Raoiella indica Hirst (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) Native to the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

The expansion of red palm mite (RPM), Raoiella indica (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) in Brazil could impact negatively the native plant species, especially of the family Arecaceae. To determine which species could be at risk, we investigated the development and reproductive potential of R. indica on 19 plant species including 13 native species to the Brazilian Amazon (12 Arecaceae and one Heliconiaceae), and six exotic species, four Arecaceae, a Musaceae and a Zingiberaceae. Values of the instantaneous rate of increase (ri) were initially estimated at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after infestation of each species. Higher values of ri (> 0.05) were determined on the Arecaceae Adonidia merrillii, Astrocaryum jauari, Cocos nucifera, Bactris simplicifrons, Mauritia flexuosa, Phoenix dactylifera and Socratea exorrhiza, and on the Heliconiaceae Heliconia psittacorum Sassy; these were classified as “potential primary hosts”. Lower, but still positive values of ri (0-0.05) were determined on the Arecaceae Bactris maraja, Oenocarpus bacaba, Oenocarpus bataua and on the Musaceae Musa × paradisiaca (Prata variety); these were classified as “potential secondary hosts”. Negative values of ri were determined for the remaining plants, i.e., the Arecaceae Astrocaryum aculeatum, Attalea maripa, Bactris gasipaes, Elaeis guineensis, Euterpe oleracea, Euterpe precatoria, and the Zingiberaceae Alpinia rosea; these were considered “non-hosts”. Species with ri < 0.05 were considered not to be threatened by the RPM. Biological parameters of RPM were evaluated on the plant species with positive ri (except B. maraja) and two native species with negative ri (E. oleracea and E. precatoria). Mean developmental time ranged from 14.7 days on C. nucifera to 21.4 days on Musa × paradisiaca, showing a significant influence of the plant substrate. Immature viability, oviposition rate, net reproductive rate (R0) and intrinsic rate of increase (rm) were affected by the plant species.

The invasive red palm mite,Raoiella indicaHirst (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), in Brazil: range extension and arrival into the most threatened area, the Northeast Region

“…For this host, small adult colonies were observed. According to Gómez-Moya et al (2017), E. guineensis in not considered a typical host for the RPM. Hence, it is probable that its occurrence in this plant species is casual.…”

What is the Southern Limit of the Distribution of Red Palm Mite, Raoiella indica (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), in Agricultural Lands in Brazil?

“…Coconut, Cocos nucifera L. (Arecaceae), is the principal host of R. indica (Carrillo et al 2011a;Navia et al 2015;Otero-Colina et al 2016;Gómez-Moya et al 2017;Polanco-Arjona et al 2017). Although mid-southern Brazil is not very important in the produc-tion of coconut, this plant is commonly found in southern Brazil and other parts of the country as backyard plantations, or as ornamentals in this and other Brazilian regions (IBGE 2017).…”

Nuevos registros de plantas hospedantes de Raoiella indica Hirst en Colombia

“…Las especies de plantas A. merrillii, C. nucifera, H. psittacorum, S. exorrhiza, M. flexuosa, Livistona sp., Dypsis sp., C. renda y P. roebelenii, se observaron con poblaciones en todos los estados morfológicos, junto con la presencia de síntomas característicos de daño, lo cual indica que son hospederos primarios de R. indica. Esta información concuerda con lo reportado por Carrillo et al (2012b); Gómez et al (2017), quienes propusieron estas mismas especies como hospederos primaros de R. indica. Los mismos autores mencionaron como hospederos secundarios a O. bacaba y M. paradisiaca, especies para las cuales también se encontraron poblaciones abundantes en este trabajo, sin observar oviposiciones en las colonias encontradas.…”

“…En Europa, R. indica se había reportado en algunas especies de palmas y ocasionalmente en bananas (M. acuminata), pero luego de su introducción a la región caribe, Carrillo et al, (2012b) reportaron 91 especies de plantas hospederas pertenecientes a varias familias: Arecaceae (73 spp), Heliconaceae (5 spp), Strelitziaceae (2 spp), Musaceae (6), Zingiberaceae (4), Pandanaceae (2). Para el 2017 se amplió la lista con 31 nuevos hospederos de la familia Arecaceae en Cuba (Ramos & Moreno, 2017) y siete especies de la misma familia de la zona amazónica de Brasil (Gómez et al, 2017). La mayoría de los estudios sobre R. indica están referidos principalmente a hospederos de la familia Arecaceae: palma areca, palma de coco y palma dátil.…”