Occurrence of the quarantine mite pest Aculus schlechtendali (Acari: Eriophyidae) in apple orchards of Serra Gaúcha, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

The aim of this work is to report the presence of Aculus schlechtendali (Nalepa, 1890) (Prostigmata: Eriophyidae) (Apple rust mite—ARM), in apple orchards of Serra Gaúcha, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Surveys were conducted from apple leaves of Gala cultivar in a commercial orchard of Vacaria County (S 28' 34.540 W 050' 52.153) in the Northeast region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, between November 2016 and January of 2017. The morphological traits and the relative measurements matched with those of A. schlechtendali. This is the first report of this mite pest in Brazil, so far regulated as a quarantine pest, and the third country report in South America. Consideration on the potential pest status of ARM is discussed