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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #379785
Research Project: Plant Feeding Mite (Acari) Systematics

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: The occurrence of peacock mites in Peru (Acari: Tuckerellidae: Tuckerella) and key of Tuckerella species in cocoa

Author
item ESCOBAR-GARCIA, HECTOR - UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE PIURA
item ANDRADE, DANIEL JUNIOR - SAO PAULO STATE UNIVERSITY (UNESP)
item Ochoa, Ronald - Ron

Submitted to: Systematic and Applied Acarology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/28/2021
Publication Date: 2/20/2021
Citation: Escobar-Garcia, H.A., Andrade, D.D., Ochoa, R. 2021. The occurrence of peacock mites in Peru (Acari: Tuckerellidae: Tuckerella) and key of Tuckerella species in cocoa. Systematic and Applied Acarology. 26(3):519-528. https://doi.org/10.11158/saa.26.3.2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.11158/saa.26.3.2

Interpretive Summary: Peacock mites are plant feeding mites that are not well known but have been associated with damage to the bark of several plants including citrus, guava, avocado and tea. This article addresses the feeding damage on cocoa trees and its importance. This article will be important to plant protection officers, extension workers, agriculture scientists, entomologists and cocoa tree farmers.

Technical Abstract: Cocoa beans, Theobroma cacao L. (Malvaceae), are the raw material for cocoa and used to produce chocolate. In Peru, cocoa is produced mainly by smallholder farmers under a small-scale agriculture model. During March and September 2020, surveys of organic smallholding farms were conducted in four Districts of the Department of Piura. Three species of the family Tuckerellidae were collected and identified from these areas in Peru. They were: Tuckerella ornata (Tucker), Tuckerella pavoniformis (Ewing), and Tuckerella knorri Baker & Tuttle. In this article, we report the presence of peacock mites for the first time affecting cocoa crops in Peru. The populations of peacock mites found in the cocoa trees were considerable, causing significant fruit damage. A key to the species of Tuckerella found in Peru is presented.