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

Date de publication

jeu, 23 Avr 2009, 00:00

Dernière mise à jour effectuée le

juin 30, 2015, 5:33 matin

Report Number

AUS-20/2

Pays

Australia

Identité de l'organisme nuisible

Colomerus novahabridensis - (COOMNO)

Situation du signalement

Final

Hôtes

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

Distribution géographique

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.

Résumé

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 pour demandes d'information

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

Fichiers de rapports

Site web

Mots-clés associés au thème

Pest reporting

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