''Brevipalpus'' is a genus of

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...

s in the family Tenuipalpidae, the flat mites.''Brevipalpus californicus''.
University of Florida, IFAS. The genus includes several species that are among the most important economic

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

in the flat mite family.Childers, C. C. and J. C. Rodrigues. (2011)
An overview of ''Brevipalpus'' mites (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) and the plant viruses they transmit.
''Zoosymposia'' 6, 180-92. Some ''Brevipalpus'' species are made up mostly of female individuals that reproduce via

thelytoky Thelytoky (from the Ancient Greek, Greek θῆλυς ''thēlys'' "female" and τόκος ''tókos'' "birth") is a type of parthenogenesis and is the absence of mating and subsequent production of all female diploid offspring as for example in aph ...

, producing offspring without fertilization. Male individuals occur but often become feminized by ''

Cardinium "''Candidatus'' Cardinium" is a genus of Gram-negative parasitic bacteria that reside within cells of some arthropods and nematodes. Although they have not yet been isolated in pure culture (hence the designation ''Candidatus''), they are know ...

'' bacteria that colonize their bodies. Between each developmental stage, the juvenile rests as a

chrysalis A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages the ...

on a plant. ''Brevipalpus'' mites damage their host plants by inserting their relatively long mouthparts into the plant tissue and injecting

saliva Saliva (commonly referred as spit or drool) is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the mouth. In humans, saliva is around 99% water, plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells (from which ...

during feeding. The saliva is toxic to the plant. Damage on

grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The flesh of the fruit is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark red. Grapefru ...

, for example, takes the form of circular, discolored lesions on the fruit which darken as they become

necrotic Necrosis () is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue by autolysis. The term "necrosis" came about in the mid-19th century and is commonly attributed to German pathologist Rudolf Virchow, who is ...

. On pistachio, ''Brevipalpus'' damage appears as scabby blotches on the leaf petioles, stems, and nuts. Furthermore, several of these mites are

vector Vector most often refers to: * Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction * Disease vector, an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematics a ...

s for a variety of serious

plant virus Plant viruses are viruses that have the potential to affect plants. Like all other viruses, plant viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that do not have the molecular machinery to replicate without a host. Plant viruses can be pathoge ...

es. Familiar species include: *'' Brevipalpus californicus'', a mite known as a vector for the orchid fleck virus, which causes spots and rings on

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

leaves. The mite has a wide range of host plants. It has been known to form

gall Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or war ...

s on

bitter orange The bitter orange, sour orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is the hybrid citrus tree species ''Citrus'' × ''aurantium'', and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of th ...

. *'' Brevipalpus chilensis'', which is native to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, but has the potential to invade other regions as an agricultural pest of several crops, including

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

s and

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

. *'' Brevipalpus lewisi'', which is known from the

Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The ...

, Australia, and the southwestern United States. It is a pest on pistachio, citrus, pomegranate, walnuts, grapes, and ornamental plants. *''Brevipalpus obovatus'', which is a pest of many plants, including the ornamentals ''Hibiscus rosa-sinensis'' and ''Brunfelsia uniflora''.Miranda, L. C., et al. (2007)
''Brevipalpus'' mites Donnadieu (Prostigmata: Tenuipalpidae) associated with ornamental plants in Distrito Federal, Brazil.
''Neotropical Entomology'' 36(4), 587-92. *''Brevipalpus phoenicis'', a pest of the Camellia sinensis, tea plant, especially in Indonesia. It feeds on the leaves and in large numbers can reduce yields. It has also been observed on tangerine. This mite is a vector for ''Cilevirus'', a plant virus that causes the disease citrus leprosis. Manifestations of the disease on a citrus tree include chlorosis, chlorotic lesions, girdling, fruit drop, defoliation, and the death of the tree. Of the major types of citrus, the Orange (fruit), orange is most vulnerable to the virus. The mite is also a vector of passion fruit green spot virus and coffee ringspot virus, and ringspots of ''Cestrum'' and ''Solanum'' plants.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4357524 Trombidiformes genera Taxa described in 1875