Page 3 - Volume 6, Issue 1, January 2013

Laboratory of Acarology and Agricultural Zoology, De-

partment of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, 8

St. Delta str., GR-145 61 Kifissia (Athens), Greece

e-mail:

e.kapaxidi@bpi.gr

Hellenic Plant Protection Journal

6:

1-18, 2013

REVIEW ARTICLE

Eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) in Greek orchards and

grapevine: A review

E.V. Kapaxidi

Summary

Eriophyoidmites (Acari: Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea), one of the most diverse group of mites,

are plant feeder specialists, causing various symptoms on plants, and many of them are economically

important pests on orchards and grapevines. They are commonly known as gall, rust, bud, and blister

mites. Up to date approximately a hundred species of eriophyoid mites have been reported in Greece,

thirty three of them, belonging to the families Eriophyidae, Diptilomiopidae and Phytoptidae, in ag-

ricultural orchards and vineyards. Information about their hosts, damage and natural enemies is pre-

sented. Also, the subjects of monitoring and chemical control of eriophyoid mites are discussed.

Additional keywords

: blister mites, bud mites, control, natural enemies, rust mites

Introduction

Among phytophagousmites, the eriophyoid

mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea) are

the most diverse group and many of erio-

phyoid species are economically important

pests (Van Leeuwen

et al.

, 2010). Around

3,700 species are currently recognized (Am-

rine

et al.

, 2003) on angiosperms, coniferous

plants and ferns throughout the world. They

are commonly known as gall, rust, bud, and

blister mites.

Members of the Eriophyoidea are soft

bodied, wormlike, or spindle shaped,

unique among the mites because they have

only two pairs of legs and size so small that

they are almost invisible to the unaided eye.

Eriophyoids are one of the most specialized

groups of plant feeders. They are character-

ized by the intimate relationships they have

with their hosts and the restricted range

of plants upon which they can reproduce.

Eighty per cent of eriophyoids have been

reported on only one host species, 95% on

one host genus, and 99% on one host fami-

ly (Skoracka

et al.

, 2010).

Symptoms of their feeding are varying

from simple russeting to complex gall forma-

tion and may appear on buds, shoots, stems,

twigs, flowers and leaves of the plants. Gall

formation occurs as a result of mite attack on

individual plant cells; it is a localized growth

reaction of the host plant to the attack. Com-

mon examples are leaf galls, bud galls, and

erineum. In some plants, elongation of flower

stems and lateral branches is inhibited, caus-

ing the development of contorted foliage,

flowers, and branches. One of the most con-

spicuous examples is witches’-broom, which

is a cluster of brush like growth of stunted

twigs or branches on trees. Some eriophy-

id species arrest shoot development, caus-

ing leaf sheaths to become enlarged, closely

packed, and bunched at stem nodes. Others

cause the well-known “big bud”, which con-

sists of an aggregation of swollen, thickened

scale leaves. Eriophyids also cause an array

of nongall abnormalities, such as leaf fold-

ing and twisting, blisters, and discoloration.

Russeting and silvering or bronzing of leaves

are also induced by eriophyid feeding. As a

result of infestation flowers or young fruits

maybe falling off (Keifer

et al.

, 1982).