Eriophyid
Encyclopedia
Eriophyidae is a family of more than 200 genera of mite
s, which live as plant
parasites, commonly causing gall
s or other damage to the plant tissues and hence known as gall mites. About 3,600 species have been described, but this is probably less than 10% of the actual number existing in this poorly-researched family. They are tiny, microscopic mites and are yellow to pinkish white to purplish in color. The mites are worm like, and have only two pairs of legs. Their primary method of population spread is by wind. They affect a wide range of plants, and several are major pest species causing substantial economic damage to crops. Some species, however, are used as biological agents to control weeds and invasive plant species.
Mite
Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...
s, which live as plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
parasites, commonly causing gall
Gall
Galls or cecidia are outgrowths on the surface of lifeforms caused by invasion by other lifeforms, such as parasites or bacterial infection. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues and can be caused by various parasites, from fungi and bacteria, to insects and mites...
s or other damage to the plant tissues and hence known as gall mites. About 3,600 species have been described, but this is probably less than 10% of the actual number existing in this poorly-researched family. They are tiny, microscopic mites and are yellow to pinkish white to purplish in color. The mites are worm like, and have only two pairs of legs. Their primary method of population spread is by wind. They affect a wide range of plants, and several are major pest species causing substantial economic damage to crops. Some species, however, are used as biological agents to control weeds and invasive plant species.
Notable species
Notable species in this family include:- Abacarus hystrixAbacarus hystrixAbacarus hystrix, commonly known as the cereal rust mite or grain rust mite, is a species of mite belonging to the family Eriophyidae...
, the cereal rust mite - Abacarus sacchariAbacarus sacchariAbacarus sacchari is an agricultural pest mite on sugar cane plantations in Africa, Brazil, India, and Venezuela....
, the sugarcaneSugarcaneSugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
rust mite - Acalitus essigi, the redberry mite — attacks blackberriesBlackberryThe blackberry is an edible fruit produced by any of several species in the Rubus genus of the Rosaceae family. The fruit is not a true berry; botanically it is termed an aggregate fruit, composed of small drupelets. The plants typically have biennial canes and perennial roots. Blackberries and...
- Aceria chondrillaeAceria chondrillaeAceria chondrillae is a biological control agent against Chondrilla juncea , which is a well-known noxious weed....
, the chondrilla gall mite — agent of biological control against skeleton weed (Chondrilla junceaChondrilla junceaChondrilla juncea is a species of flowering plant in the Aster family known by a number of common names, including rush skeletonweed, gum succory, devil's grass, and nakedweed...
) - Aceria malherbaeAceria malherbaeAceria malherbae is a species of gall mite known as the bindweed gall mite. It is used as an agent of biological pest control on invasive species of bindweed, particularly field bindweed ....
, the bindweed gall mite — agent of biological control against field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensisConvolvulus arvensisConvolvulus arvensis is a species of bindweed, native to Europe and Asia. It is a climbing or creeping herbaceous perennial plant growing to 0.5–2 m high. The leaves are spirally arranged, linear to arrowhead-shaped, 2–5 cm long and alternate, with a 1–3 cm petiole...
) - Eriophyes guerreronisEriophyes guerreronisThe eriophyid coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis, is a mite which infests coconut plantations. It is economically devastating, and can destroy up to 90% of coconut production. The immature nuts are infested and injured by mites feeding in the portion covered by the perianth of the immature nut....
— causes mandari disease of coconutCoconutThe coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s. The Krishi Vigyan Kandra, Kannur under Kerala Agricultural UniversityKerala Agricultural UniversityKerala Agricultural University is the primary and the principal instrumentality of the Kerala state in providing human resources, and skills and technology, required for the sustainable development of its agriculture, defined broadly encompassing all production activities based on land and water,...
has developed an innovative extension approach called compact area group approach (CAGA) to combat problems like coconut mite. - Eriophyes padiEriophyes padiEriophyes padi is a gall-forming mite that causes cherry pouch galls on black cherry trees....
– causes cherry pouch galls on black cherryBlack CherryPrunus serotina, commonly called black cherry, wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a woody plant species belonging to the genus Prunus...
trees
Selected genera
- AbacarusAbacarusAbacarus is a genus of acari, including the following species:* Abacarus acutatus Sukhareva, 1985* Abacarus doctus Navia et al., 2011* Abacarus hystrix * Abacarus lolii Skoracka, 2009...
- AberoptusAberoptusAberoptus is a genus of mites belonging to the family Eriophyidae. These tiny mites, flattened in shape, live beneath the waxy layer on the underside of the leaves of certain plants.-Species:Species include:*Aberoptus cerostructor Flechtmann, 2001...
- AcalitusAcalitusAcalitus is a genus of mites, including the following species:*Acalitus acanthus Smith-Meyer, 1990*Acalitus accolus Flechtmann, Amrine & Stasny, 1995*Acalitus acnistii *Acalitus aethiopicus Smith-Meyer, 1990...
- Acaphylla
- Acaphyllisa
- Acaralox
- Acarelliptus
- Acaricalus
- AceriaAceriaAceria is a genus of mite belonging to the gall mite family . These tiny animals are parasites of plants. Several species can cause galls, blisters and erineum; a few are economically significant pests, while others are useful for biological control of invasive plants such as Rush Skeletonweed ,...
- Achaetocoptes
- Acritonotus
- Aculochetus
- Aculodes
- Aculops
- AculusAculusAculus is a genus of mites, including the following species:*Aculus ablopurpurascus Huang, 2001*Aculus acanthae *Aculus acraspis *Aculus acutangulae Mohanasundaram, 1985...
- Adenoptus
- Aequsomatus
- Anthocoptes
- Bariella
- Boczekiana
- Brachendus
- Calacarus
- Calepitrimerus
- Callyntrotus
- Cecidophyes
- Cecidophyopsis
- Cisaberiptus
- Colomerus
- Coptophylla
- Cosetacus
- Criotacus
- Cupacarus
- Cymoptus
- Dichopelmus
- Ditrymacus
- Epitrimerus
- EriophyesEriophyesEriophyes is a genus of acari.Species include:* Eriophyes alniincanae Nalepa, 1919* Eriophyes amelancheus Nalepa, 1926* Eriophyes arianus * Eriophyes betulae * Eriophyes betulinus * Eriophyes bucidae...
- Gilarovella
- Glyptacus
- Keiferella
- Leipothrix
- Liroella
- Mesalox
- Metaculus
- Monochetus
- Neooxycenus
- Neotegonotus
- Oxycenus
- Paraphytoptus
- "Pentamerus" Roivainen, 1951 (non Sowerby, 1813: preoccupiedPentamerusPentamerus is a prehistoric genus of brachiopod that lived from the Silurian to the Middle Devonian in Asia, Europe, and North America.-External links:* in the Paleobiology Database...
) - PhyllocoptesPhyllocoptesPhyllocoptes is a genus of acari, including the following species:* Phyllocoptes abaenus Keifer, 1940* Phyllocoptes coprosmae Lamb, 1952* Phyllocoptes hazelae Manson, 1984* Phyllocoptes metrosideri Manson, 1989...
- Phyllocoptruta
- Platyphytoptus
- Reckella
- Shevtchenkella
- Stenacis
- TegolophusTegolophusTegolophus is a genus of acari, including the following species:* Tegolophus alicis Manson, 1984* Tegolophus australis Keifer, 1964* Tegolophus meliflorus Manson, 1984* Tegolophus poriruensis Manson, 1984...
- Tegonotus
- Tegoprionus
- Tetra
- Tetraspinus
- Thamnacus
- Tumescoptes
- Vasates
External links
- Acalitus vaccinii, blueberry bud mite on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
Featured Creatures Web site - Acathrix trymatus, a coconut mite on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
Featured Creatures Web site - Aceria guerreronis , a coconut mite on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
Featured Creatures Web site