The banana rust mite, Phyllocoptruta musae Keifer (Eriophyidae), an invasive mite in the Caribbean presenting an unusual sexual behavior

Abstract

The banana rust mite, Phyllocoptruta musae Keifer, 1955 (Eriophyidae), was observed for the first time in the Caribbean in 2020, in Dominican Republic, in the Línea Noroeste region, Valverde and Monte Cristi provinces, infesting Musa acuminata plantations (Gran Enano and Williams hybrids) (Gómez-Moya et al., 2021). This eriophyid mite was described from Queensland, Australia on Musa x paradisiaca L. (Keifer, 1955). In the Eastern Hemisphere, besides Australia P. musae had been reported from China, in the autonomous region of Guangxi Zhuang; on Hainan Island, and in Thailand (Li et al., 2007; Tan et al., 2014; Chandrapatya et al., 2016; Amrine & de Lillo, personnal communication). In Australia infestations were reported causing fruit spotting (Keifer, 1955).