White feeding punctures on leaves caused by sweetpotato spider mite (E. Vasquez).

Sweetpotato spider mites produce webs between leaf lobes and petiole (E. Vasquez).

Diagnostic summary

• What they do to plants

- adults and nymphs suck  sap from leaves.

- produce webs on the undersurface of leaf.

• What you see on plants

- feeding punctures on leaves become chlorotic and appear as conspicuous whitish to yellowish stipplings  or dots at the upper surface of leaf.

- under heavy infestation, the chlorotic areas may coalesce so that  leaves eventually turn yellow and may drop prematurely.

• Widespread in the Pacific Islands and also found in Southeast Asia, Caribbean and the Americas.

• Eggs are deposited singly and scattered on the lower surface along or near the leaf midrib or veins.

Taxonomy

Economic importance

Geographical distribution

Morphology

Biology and ecology

Detection and inspection

Host range

Management

References

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