Raoiella indica (red palm mite).

Abstract R. indica was first described in India in 1924 (Hirst) and has since been reported in several Old World countries. The species became of recent significance in 2004 when it was first reported in the Caribbean (Flechtmann and Étienne, 2004). Since then the mite has successfully spread throughout the islands of the Caribbean and has expanded its range into southern Florida (USDA-APHIS, 2007), South America (northern Venezuela, Vásquez et al., 2008; Brazil, Navia et al., 2010; Colombia, Carrillo et al., 2011) and Mexico (Estrada-Venegas et al., 2010). The mite has been reported on a wide range of palm hosts of the family Arecaceae and apparent new associations with members of the order Zingiberales, including the families Musaceae, Heliconiaceae, Zingiberaceae and Strelitziaceae have been reported. The success of the mite in the invasive range may be attributed to its ability to colonize many different host plant species, its apparent lack of co-evolved natural enemies in its new habitat and its rapid dispersal in its new range.