Red Palm Mite

Taxonomy

Raoiella indica

Abbreviation: N/A

Distribution

Red palm mite is present in: Brazil, Columbia, India, Egypt, Israel, Mauritius, Reunion, Sudan, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Martinique, Mexico, Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Martin, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, and Puerto Rico.

Affected Commodities

Red palm mite is a pest of the following plants: coconut palm, wild plantain, banana, and ginger. The products most likely to be affected entering a port of entry will be:

• woven palm handicrafts (the risk is mitigated if shellacked, dyed, painted, or bleached)
• loose palm leaves
• live nursery plants

Commodity Damage

Evidence of red palm mite damage includes: colonies on the undersides of leaves and localized yellowing on the leaf. White skin casts can be found along the vein of leaves with well-established colonies.

Port Inspections

CBP Agriculture Specialists, please refer to manuals for general inspection guidelines. When performing inspections, look for yellowing and other pest evidence, and verify the products and packaging are free of red palm mite and any other pests. Also examine souvenirs of palm and leaf handicrafts carried by travelers from the Caribbean. 

Females average 245 microns (0.01 inches) long and 182 microns (0.007 inches) wide, are oval and reddish in color. 

Males are smaller, but similar to the female in shape except for having a tapering of the posterior end of the body.