First record of Cenopalpus wainsteini (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) in the Americas and a description of the symptoms it causes on pines in Argentina, Chile, Italy and Peru

Sunday, November 13, 2022

8:41 AM – 8:53 AM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 212

Presenting Author(s)

Marcello De Giosa

PhD student
University of Florida
Homestead, Florida

Co-Author(s)

SS

Sauro Simoni

Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA), Italy

Co-author(s)

ED

Enrico De Lillo

University of Bari
Via Amendola, Puglia, Italy

Co-Author(s)

Ronald Ochoa

USDA-ARS
Beltsville, Maryland
Javier Huanca Maldonado

Professor
Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa
Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru
AT

Aline Tassi

University of Florida
Homestead, Florida
FE

Francisco Espinoza

Ministerio de Agricultura, Chile
MR

Marisa Regonat

National Agrifood Health and Quality Service, Argentina
Alexandra Margarita Revynthi

Assistant Professor
University of Florida
Homestead, Florida

Flat mites (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) are obligatory plant feeders that cause direct damage to agricultural plants. Some species are vectors of plant pathogens. The genus Cenopalpus is one of the largest genera with many species affecting timber trees and ornamentals and has had very little new information published in recent decades. The goals of this research are to report new records of the Cenopalpus genus in the Nearctic region and describe the damage caused by these new pests. The current research highlights the presence of C. wainsteini on Pinus sp. in Argentina, Chile, and Peru and its importance as a pest. Populations of C. wainsteini cause alterations in the growing needle and sprouts, affecting this way the plant's development and its marketability. Coniferous species are native to northern Europe. Coniferous species are native to northern Europe. Due to the commercialization of the forest industry, coniferous species now occur in many parts of the world. Shipping of infested conifers can contribute significantly to the spread of C. wainsteini. International trade of live plants and plant products has been recognized as an important pathway for invasive pest species and can have severe economic and ecological consequences. Little is known about the biology of C. wainsteini, and its potential impact on native trees and the commercial forest industry in the Americas, specifically in North and Central America. The Americas represent the second-largest area (231 million ha) of forest products in the world, therefore the presence of C. wainsteini can potentially be devastating.