Faunistic survey of mites associated with date palm trees in Bam (Iran)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

2 Department of Plant Protection College of Agriculture Shahid BahonarUniversity of Kerman Kerman -Iran

3 Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

The Bam region is one of the largest date palm-growing areas in Iran. The mite fauna associated with the fruits and foliage of date palm trees was investigated due to the lack of basic faunistic information in this area. This study, conducted from the beginning of 2022 to the end of 2023, provides a comprehensive survey of the mite fauna associated with date palm orchards in Bam and its surrounding areas. A total of 22 species from 19 genera belonging to 13 families were collected from leaves and fruits. These included members of Tetranychidae, Tenuipalpidae, Anystidae, Bdellidae, Cheyletidae, Caligonellidae, Camerobiidae, Stigmaeidae, and Phytoseiidae. Overall, 10 phytophagous and five predatory mite species were recorded on date palms. Tetranychidae showed the highest species richness (six species), followed by Tenuipalpidae (four species). Oligonychus afrasiaticus and Tenuipalpus eriophyoides were the most widely distributed species on fruits and leaves, respectively. Orchards with a history of pesticide application appeared to have lower mite diversity than other sampled sites. These findings provide baseline information on the mite fauna of date palm orchards in the Bam region and may contribute to future ecological studies and pest management programs.

Keywords

Journal of Advances in Plant Protection
Volume 3, Issue 1
June 2026
Pages 65-68

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