Tenuipalpus uvae (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) and Calophya spondiadis (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), pests of Spondias in Florida, USA

Abstract

Summary Two main pests were found attacking purple mombin or Spanish plum, Spondias purpurea (Sapindales: Anacardiaceae) in Homestead, Florida, USA: Tenuipalpus uvae De Leon (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), a flat mite damaging the leaves, and the spondias psyllid, Calophya spondiadis Burkhardt & Mendez (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) feeding on the flowers, fruitlets, and tender expanding leaves. Tenuipalpus uvae populations are composed principally of females. Female longevity was 13.1 ± 2.0 d and unmated females oviposited 5.0 ± 1.0 eggs in their lifetime. On average, eclosure time for eggs from laboratory-reared unmated females was 10.2 ± 0.1 d, and developmental times for the larva, protonymph, and deutonymph were 6.6 ± 0.4 d, 5.7 ± 0.2 d, and 6.8 ± 0.7 d, respectively. In a survey of S. purpurea leaflets, the upper surface had a significantly higher number of nymph and adult mites (6.43 ± 0.60) than the lower surface (2.29 ± 0.35). Calophya spondiadis laid their eggs on flowers at first, because these were the first to sprout in Jan, and they were heavily infested by the end of Mar with an average of 10.9 ± 1.5 eggs and 9.6 ± 1.1 nymphs per flower. Few eggs or nymphs (0.17 ± 0.17 and 0.08 ± 0.08, respectively) were found per fruit; nonetheless, the fruit did have multiple punctures or necrotic spots (16.7 ± 4.3 per fruit), likely acquired as nymphs fed on the flowers and their ovaries. Significantly more eggs were found on the upper surface of the leaves and the petiole portion adjacent to each leaflet than the underside of the leaves, and most nymphs migrated to the undersides. The feeding damage resulted in black, necrotic spots that became brown pits as the leaves matured and hardened.