Tenuipalpus punicae

Tenuipalpus punicae Pritchard and Baker

Taxonomic placing: Acari, Prostigmata, Tetranychoidea, Tenuipalpidae.

Common name: Pomegranate false spider mite.

Geographical distribution: Southern Mediterranean countries to Iran, India and southern Russia.

Host plants: Grapes, pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) and pomegranate.

Morphology: The anterior part of the body is broad whereas the posterior is narrow and carries 4 pairs of simple short setae and one pair of longer, flagellate setae. The palpi are 3-segmented and the dorsum bears strong reticulations.

Life history: The parthenogenetic females overwinter in crevices on tree bark, becoming active in the spring. They initially feed on buds, later on leaves, preferable in the middle strata of the trees, their populations peaking in mid-summer. Fecundity is about 14 eggs/female. At 18.0°C (autumn) a generation was raised in 6-7 weeks whereas at 27.3°C (mid-summer) only 2-3 weeks were required. The mite completes 8-10 annual generations.

Economic importance: The mite is a serious pest of pomegranates, at times also of grapes. It causes leaf silvering and spotting, reducing pomegranate fruit size, color and sugar level. Grapes may be similarly affected.

Biological control: Several Phytoseiidae and Coccinellidae attack the pest, but their controlling effect is not known.

References

Al-Gboory, I. and El-Haidari, H. 1989. Studies on some factors affecting the pomegranate false spider mite Tenuipalpus punicae (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) in Iraq. In: Channabasavanna, G.P. and Viraktamath, C.A. (eds), Progress in Acarology, volume 2, pp. 67-72.

Al-Gboory, I. and El-Haidari, H. 1989. Some ecological aspects of the pomegranate false spider mite Tenuipalpus punicae (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) in Iraq. In: Channabasavanna, G.P. and Viraktamath, C.A. (eds), Progress in Acarology, volume 2, pp. 73-79.

Al-Mallah, N.M. and Mohammad, M.A. l989. Ecological and biological studies on the pomegranate false spider mite, Tenuipalpus punicae P. & B. (Acariformes: Tenuipalpidae). Arab Journal of Plant Protection 7: 159-163 (in Arabic with an English abstract).

Döker, I., Kazak, C. and Karut, K. 2013. A new pomegranate pest for Turkey; pomegranate false spider mite, Tenuipalpus punicae Pirtchard and Baker (Acari: Tenuipalpidae). _ Turkiye Entomoloji Dergisi_ 3: 113-117 (in Turkish with an English Abstract).

Gomaa, E.A., Hassan, M.F. and Hassan, A.F. 1987. Biological response of Tenuipalpus granati Sayed and Tenuipalpus punicae to leaves of grape-vine and pomegranate. Bulletin Cairo University, Faculty of Agriculture 38: 571-578.

Hatzinikolis, E.N. 1986. The genus Tenuipalpus in Greece (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) in Greece. Entomologia Hellenica 4: 19-22.

Zaher, M.A. and Yousef, A.A. 1972. Biology of the false spider mite Tenuipalpus punicae P. & B. in U. A. R. (Acarina — Tenuipalpidae). Journal of Applied Entomology 70: 23–29.

Website https://www.google.co.il/search?q=Tenuipalpus+punicae+image&oq=Tenuipalpus+punicae+image&gs_l=psy-ab.12..33i160k1.11122.13625.0.16671.6.6.0.0.0.0.184.913.0j6.6.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.6.911...0i22i30k1j33i21k1.I6VEaDGmR8k