Brevipalpus phoenicis

Brevipalpus phoenicis
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Trombidiformes
Family: Tenuipalpidae
Genus: Brevipalpus
Species:
B. phoenicis
Binomial name
Brevipalpus phoenicis
(Geijskes, 1936)
Synonyms
  • Brevipalpus deleoni Pritchard & Baker, 1958
  • Brevipalpus mcbridei Baker, 1949
  • Brevipalpus papayensis Baker, 1949
  • Brevipalpus phoenicoides Gonzalez, 1975
  • Brevipalpus yothersi Baker, 1949
  • Tenuipalpus phoenicis Geijskes, 1939

Brevipalpus phoenicis, also known as the false spider mite, red and black flat mite, and in Australia as the passionvine mite, is a species of mite in the family Tenuipalpidae. This species occurs globally, and is a serious pest to such crops as citrus, tea, papaya, guava and coffee, and can heavily damage numerous other crops. They are unique in having haploid females, a condition caused by a bacterium that change haploid males into females.