Order Prostigmata | Subclass Acari Rank Species | |
Similar Lemon, Aceria, Panonychus citri, Phyllocnistis citrella, Prays citri | ||
Aceria sheldoni, commonly called the citrus bud mite, is a species of mite belonging to the family Eriophyidae. It feeds in leaf- and flower-buds of Citrus spp., causing deformation to leaves, flowers and fruit, and is a worldwide pest of citrus fruit production.
This minute yellowish or pinkish mite (reaching only 0.16 mm in length) is active throughout the year with a full generation lasting just 10 days in the summer, maybe twice that in the winter. Each female lays up to 50 eggs which hatch after 2–5 days. The animal goes through 4 pre-imaginal instars before reaching maturity.
As well as the direct damage caused by this species, the hollows caused in affected fruit encourage infestation by other pests including the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri and the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae.
