Aceria sacchari Wang
(=Aceria sacchari ChannaBasavanna)

Taxonomic position

Acari: Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea: Eriophyidae

Common name

Sugarcane blister mite

Habitat / Crop(s) damaged

Sugarcane. Records from rice need to be confirmed.

The mite causes blisters or swollen scars on the outer surface of leaf sheaths. Feeding by the mites on the inner side of leaf sheaths results in formation of circular galls / blisters, which are light green initially and later turn rusty red and hardened.

Pest status

Minor, occasionally serious in many parts of Asia. Reported to be a possible vector of sugarcane streak virus, but actual transmission not proven.

Selected reference

Sithanantham, S. and David, H. 1986. Mites, pp. 343-356. In: Sugarcane entomology in India (David et al., Eds), Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, India.

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