New Hebrides Coconut mite (Colomerus novahebridensis) present in Darwin, Northern Territory

 

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Publication Date

Tue, 30 Jun 2015, 05:33

Last Updated

June 30, 2015, 5:33 a.m.

Report Number

AUS-20/1

Country

Australia

Pest Id

Colomerus novahabridensis - (COOMNO)

Report Status

Final

Hosts

Coconut

Pest Status (old values from ISPM 8 -1998 )

• Present: only in some areas

Pest Status (ISPM 8 - 2021)

• Present: not widely distributed and under official control

Geographical Distribution

Present only in Darwin, Northern Territory. The New Hebrides coconut mite is recorded from Vanuatu, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Philippines and East Timor, but not previously in Australia.

Summary

The Northern Territory reported that the mite (Colomerus novahebridensis Kiefer) was detected in the Darwin Botanic Gardens on 19 May 2008 by an international mite expert. It was initially misdiagnosed as the coconut rust mite Aceria guerreronis Kiefer. Mites and their damage were subsequently detected on several established Malayan yellow dwarf coconut trees and four other locations within a 5 to 6 km radius of the first site. It is very likely that the mites have also spread elsewhere within the Darwin area. The planting of coconuts in the Northern Territory is generally for aesthetic reasons and there is little or no production value except for the nursery trade (estimated at in excess of $40,000 annually) and for the collection of nuts for drinking by the tourist trade.

Danger

The mite lives beneath the perianth of fruits where it feeds on meristematic tissue leading to surface scars, reduced fruit growth causing premature fruit fall. In East Timor, where it may have caused damage since the early 1950s, yield losses are estimated to be 2-3% of copra production.

Contact for info

Chief Plant Protection Officer Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia [email protected]

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