First record of tetranychids mites (Acari: Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae) in papayo orchards in Tamaulipas, Mexico

Currently, Mexico is one of the world’s leading exporters of papaya (Carica papaya L.). Amongst the phytosanitary problems that affect papaya production is the incidence of mites, which decreases the photosynthetic activity, decrement in fruit sugar content and mottled on foliar area that causes leaf abscission. As part of the pest integrated management, pest taxonomic identification is crucial, in this work, the identification of mites associated to papaya crop in Tamaulipas, Mexico is presented. Samples were obtained from papaya crops in three municipalities: Mante, Llera and Victoria. Samples were identified by using taxonomical keys and morphology. Results showed the presence of three mites: Tetranychus merganser Boudreaux, 1950, Tetranychus urticae Koch, 1836 and Eutetranychus banksi (McGregor, 1914). Tetranichids colonies were found in the medial and lower strate of leaves. This research reports for the first the extended geographical distribution of these mite species on papaya crops in Tamaulipas, Mexico.