Pests > Pest outbreaks > Mites > Spidermites, Abelmoschus, Amaranthus, bean, Fiji



Pests > Pest outbreaks > Mites > Spidermites, Abelmoschus, Amaranthus, bean, Fiji

Pests Pest outbreaks Mites Spidermites, Abelmoschus, Amaranthus, bean, Fiji

Spidermites, Abelmoschus, Amaranthus, bean, Fiji

October 2016. Pictures of a reddish spider mite attacking: bean (below), wild amaranthus (middle), and slippery cabbage (top) in Fiji. Other crops are also being attacked. Not sure if same species but physical characteristics seemed like Tetranychus ludeni. Is that likely to be correct.

Tetranychus ludeni is certainly a good chance, but there are other Tetranychus with broad host ranges and that look much the same. Tetranychus neocaledonicus would be a prime suspect and it’s the most common species in north Queensland and attacks many host plants. It’s easily the most common species of Tetranychus in Brisbane gardens, too. Other possibilities are the red form of Tetranychus urticae and Tetranychus marianae. The latter tends to be the most common Tetranychus after T. neocaledonicus in surveys from northern Australia.

Whatever the species, you need a lateral slide-mount of a male (and a dorsal mount of a female) to work out species by their morphology.