Diptilomiopus floridanus (Acari: Eriophyoidea: Diptilomiopidae): Its distribution and relative abundance with other eriophyoid species on dooryard, varietal block, and commercial citrus in Florida

Abstract

We sampled 526 dooryard, 18 varietal block, and 784 commercial citrus trees in Florida between May 2009 and Apr 2014 for eriophyoid mites including Diptilomiopus floridanus Craemer & Amrine, Aceria sheldoni (Ewing), Aculops pelekassi (Keifer), and Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashmead). In total, 1,423 D. floridanus individuals were collected from dooryard citrus trees and 1 each from the lemon cultivar 'Bearss' and sweet lime trees from the Florida Citrus Arboretum in Winter Haven. Diptilomiopus floridanus was collected from dooryard citrus in the following counties in Florida: Broward, Collier, Dade, Indian River, Lee, Martin, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, and St. Lucie. The mite was not observed in Charlotte, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Manatee, or Okeechobee counties (Florida). Percentages of the eriophyoid mite species collected from dooryard citrus trees and varietal blocks were: A. pelekassi 3.2%, A. sheldoni 9.1%, D. floridanus 17.3%, and P. oleivora 84.2%. The 6 counties with the highest percentages of D. floridanus on dooryard trees were: Collier 36%, Broward 25%, Indian River 25%, Palm Beach 25%, Martin 23%, and St. Lucie 22%. In commercial citrus, A. sheldoni was collected less than 1.0%, A. pelekassi 4.0%, and P. oleivora 75.5%, of the time. Diptilomiopus floridanus was not collected in commercial citrus orchards during this survey. Diptilomiopus floridanus had significantly greater infestation rates on lime and lemon trees compared with grapefruit, tangerine, tangelo, sweet orange, and pummelo trees. However, infestation rates on lime and lemon trees were not significantly different from those on sour orange trees.