Tetranychus urticae Koch, 1835

Naves, Pedro, Nóbrega, Filomena & Auger, Philippe, 2021, Updated and annotated review of Tetranychidae occurring in mainland Portugal, the Azores, and Madeira Archipelagos, Acarologia 61 (2), pp. 380-393 : 389

Tetranychus urticae Koch, 1835

The two-spotted spider mite, T. urticae , particularly the red form formerly known as T. cinnabarinus ( Auger et al. 2013) and T. telarius ( Smith and Baker, 1968) is locally widespread and quite common ( Carmona 1960 ; 1973a ; Carmona and Dias 1980 ; Ferreira 1980 ; Ferreira and Carmona 1995). The mite is present all over the mainland ( Carmona and Dias 1980), and also found on Madeira ( Carmona 1973a ; Carmona and Dias 1996) and on three Azorean Islands (FAI, TER and SMG) ( Costa-Comelles et al. 1993 ; Borges et al. 2010).

The two-spotted spider mite is associated with a wide range of hosts, including wild and ornamental plants and agricultural crops, being quite common on grapes and fruit trees, where it causes damage ( Carmona 1988 ; Carmona and Ferreira 1989 ; Sobreiro 1993 ; Carmona and

Dias 1996; Brites et al. 2019). Other common hosts include bean ( Ferreira 1980 ; Ferreira and Carmona 1994), corn ( Pereira 2004), tomato ( Ferreira and Carmona 1995) and raspberries ( Rubus idaeus ), particularly in greenhouses ( Ferreira 2016b). The number of annual generations varies from six to twelve, according to the region and local climatic conditions ( Rodrigues 2012). According to Neves (2012), populations usually increase after application of wide-spectrum pesticides, which probably disrupt natural control by predatory phytoseiid mites ( Rodrigues 2012). It is the most common species in the INIAV acarological collection, associated with multiple plant hosts but mainly with tomato, strawberry, and vineyards.