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18
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Introduction
Entomologist/Acarologist | IPM | Sustainable Agriculture
Current institution
Education
January 2018 - January 2022
September 2015 - September 2016
September 2013 - August 2016
Publications
Publications (18)
Mealybugs are frequently known for being pest insects to both ornamental and large-scale agricultural crops. Yet despite their agricultural importance, the genomic resources for this group remain quite small. One such species is the hibiscus mealybug, Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead) (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae). This invasive mealybug sp...
Hibiscus mealybug Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead; Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a newly established pest in Florida citrus. In its native range, hibiscus mealybug is controlled by a suite of natural enemies. However, the potential predator population for this pest in Florida is currently unknown. Identifying and promoting natural enemies that prey o...
The abundance and diversity of eriophyid and phytoseiid mites in south and central Florida were assessed in six citrus orchards under three different pest management systems, conventional, organic, and untreated. Tree canopy, ground cover, and leaf litter were sampled every two months in two groves for each of the three pest management systems from...
Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS) production system excludes the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, vector of Huanglongbing (HLB), and large predators. However, small pests and beneficial arthropods such as predatory mites may enter the CUPS. Predatory mites from the family Phytoseiidae attack several economically important...
Mites of the genus Thyreophagus (Acari: Acaridae) are distributed worldwide; they inhabit concealed habitats and include several beneficial and economically important species. However, species identification is difficult because many species are poorly described or delimited and their phoretic stages are unknown or uncorrelated. Furthermore, Thyreo...
Predatory mites are effective natural enemies of small arthropods, including pest mites and insects, which provide biological control of several crop pests worldwide. The family Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) is a diverse group of predators found in cultivated crops and other habitats containing natural vegetation. Although some phytoseiid spec...
The abundance and diversity of eriophyid and phytoseiid mites in south and central Florida were assessed in six citrus orchards under three different pest management systems, conventional, organic, and untreated. Tree canopy, ground cover, and leaf litter were sampled every two months in two groves each under conventional, organic, and untreated pe...
Panonychus citri is a phytophagous mite of economic importance in open citrus orchards and a major pest in Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS), a new undercover production system tested in Florida. Immatures and adults feed on citrus leaves, fruits, and green twigs resulting in mesophyll collapse, shoot dieback, and fruit drop. In Florida, P. cit...
The genus Thyreophagus is distributed worldwide, containing species occurring in stored food, house dust, bark, subcortical habitats, scale insect associations, and nests of wasps and bees. As species of this genus prefer concealed habitats, the actual species diversity is currently underappreciated. In addition, some described taxa are poorly know...
Predatory mites in the family Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) are of great importance as biological control agents of pest mites and other arthropods. Correct identification of species is crucial to implement effective biological control of target pests. Here, we provide re-descriptions of seven phytoseiid mite species collected from citrus orch...
The citrus rust mite, Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashmead), also called silver mite, is an important pest of citrus in most humid regions of the world (McCoy and Albrigo 1975, Vacante 2010) (Figure 1). It was first described in 1879 from Florida (Burditt et al. 1963). Phyllocoptruta oleivora is the most important mite pest of Florida citrus due to the...
