First Record of the Eriophyid Mite Rhombacus eucalypti (Ghosh & Chakrabarti) in Mexico

Abstract

Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) is a forest crop native to Asia-Oceania and widely distributed in the tropical regions of the world. Several Eucalyptus species are cultivated and harvested to provide pulp, wood and charcoal (Turnbull 2000). In Mexico, eucalypts were introduced as ornamental trees in urban areas (Vega & Baez 2016), but were later used in reforestation programs in the 1950s (Cervantes et al. 2008). Today, eucalypts represent 20% of the timber species in Mexico, with most production occurring in southeastern Mexico (Fierros 2012). Leptocybe invasa Fischer & La Salle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and Thaumastocoris peregrinusCarpintero &Dellapé (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae) were recently detected in Mexico City (Vanegas-Rico et al. 2015, Jiménez-Quiroz et al. 2016). Both species are pests of eucalypts in several countries (Nyeko et al. 2009, Benítez et al. 2013, Petro et al. 2014). The spread of these invasive pest species to eucalypt plantations in Mexico could result in severe economic and ecological damage. Detection of L. invasa and T. peregrinus in Mexico prompted national surveys of eucalypt plantations and forests, as well as examination of museum collections. To date, neither species has been reported in forest plantations of Mexico. Nonetheless, extensive surveys of eucalypt pests have resulted in the detection of new invasive species and the development of appropriate management strategies. A major focus of the surveys is eriophyid mites, which is an important but poorly known group of forest pests (Acuña-Soto et al. 2017).