Cyclamen Mite, Phytonemus pallidus (Banks) (Arachnida: Acarina: Tarsonemidae)
The cyclamen mite, Phytonemus pallidus (Banks), (family Tarsonemidae), was first noticed in New York in 1898 and in Canada in 1908. The cyclamen mite was described by Banks (1901) as Tarsonemus pallidus from leaves of greenhouse chrysanthemums at Jamaica, New York. Today, it is generally distributed throughout the country. Ewing (1939) considered Tarsonemus fragariae Zimmermn and T. destructor Reuter to be synonyms of T. pallidus Banks. Beer (1954) placed it in the genus Steneotarsonemus. However, Linquist placed in it the genus Phytodromus in 1987. The mites are often found on the corms of cyclamens in storage and are thus transported by trade. It has been spread on plants in unopened leaflets and on the tubers of cyclamen to all parts of the world. This mite requires high humidity and avoids light. It overwinters in the adult stage in the temperate zone. It is widely distributed throughout North America, Hawaii, Europe and Asia. This document is EENY-178 (originally published as DPI Entomology Circulars 25, 177 and 306), one of the Featured Creatures series of the Entomology and Nematology Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: December 2000. Revised: August 2004. EENY-178/IN335: Cyclamen Mite, Phytonemus pallidus (Banks) (Arachnida: Acari: Tarsonemidae) (ufl.edu)