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Eotetranychus lewisi
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Elena Lázaro, Pilar Vanaclocha, Antonio Vicent, Alice Delbianco
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Updated 12 April 2023 ( Version 1 )
Abstract
This pest survey card was prepared in the context of the EFSA mandate on plant pest surveillance (M-2020-0114), at the request of the European Commission. Its purpose is to guide the Member States in preparing data and information for Eotetranychus lewisi surveys. These are required to design statistically sound and risk-based pest surveys, in line with current international standards. The Lewis spider mite, E. lewisi, is a clearly defined taxonomic entity and a Union quarantine pest. The introduction into the EU of some of the most relevant cultivated E. lewisi host plants is either regulated or prohibited, which is the case of citrus plants, while the import of citrus fruit is subject to some requirements. E. lewisi distribution in the EU territory is restricted to Portugal (Madeira and the mainland). This pest is highly polyphagous with a wide host range. The species Citrus limon (lemon), Citrus sinensis (sweet orange), Euphorbia pulcherrima (poinsettia), Fragaria x ananassa (strawberry), Prunus persica (peach), Rubus sp. (raspberry) and Vitis vinifera (vine) are the host species in the EU that are most relevant for detection surveys. Due to climatic similarities with the distribution area outside the EU and the widespread availability of hosts present both in open fields and in protected cultivation, larger parts of the EU are considered potentially suitable for its establishment. Long-distance spread is likely to occur through the movement of infested host plants. Detection in the field should be performed from mid–late summer to early–mid autumn by visual examination of symptoms followed by sampling. Guides for the morphological identification of E. lewisi adults are available and DNA-based methods are complementary. Based on the analyses of the information on the pest–host plant system, the various units that are needed to design a survey should be defined and tailored to the situation in each Member State.
© European Food Safety Authority, 2023
Heading picture: © EPPO Global Database, courtesy of Elke Mester (Landwirtschaftskammer Schleswig-Holstein, DE)
Authors' affiliation: Elena Lázaro, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA); Pilar Vanaclocha, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA); Antonio Vicent, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA); Alice Delbianco, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Copyright for non-EFSA content: EFSA may include images or other content for which it does not hold copyright. In such cases, EFSA indicates the copyright holder and users should seek permission to reproduce the content from the original source.
The designations employed and the presentation of material on the maps in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the European Food Safety Authority concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
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