Oligonychus perditus does not occur in Serbia
The mite Oligonychus perditus (Acari: Tetranychidae, EPPO A1 List) is native to China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and Taiwan. It has been intercepted in trade but never recorded as established outside of its native range. Merdjo et al. (2024) reported in a recent article that O. perditus had been first found during surveys conducted in 2020-2023 in Serbia in 32 locations: in 16 locations on plants of the genus Juniperus (Cupressaceae), and in 16 locations on plants of the genera Prunus, Malus and Cydonia (Rosaceae).
O. perditus is an A1 quarantine pest for Serbia. When the NPPO of Serbia became aware of this finding, they conducted a targeted survey in August and September 2024 in collaboration with the authors, and took samples in the 32 sites listed in the article. The identification of collected mites was performed by the laboratory of the Department of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology of the University of Belgrade. As the NPPO noted that some coniferous plants had been misidentified, the identification of host plants was made by the Institute of Forestry in Belgrade. As a result of the survey, O. perditus was not identified in any of the samples taken. On coniferous plants, the only Oligonychus species found was O. ununguis (a cosmopolitan closely related species) as well as two non-indigenous species, Eotetranychus libocedri and Eotetranychus thujae. No significant damage was recorded on coniferous plants. On fruit trees (Prunus, Malus and Cydonia), no Oligonychus species were recorded. The NPPO concluded that O. perditus is not present in Serbia.
The pest status of Oligonychus perditus in Serbia is officially declared as: Absent, pest records invalid.
Sources
Medjo I, Marić I, Marčić D, Ueckermann EA (2024) First distribution records of the quarantine mite pest Oligonychus perditus (Acari: Tetranychidae) in Europe. International Journal of Acarology 50(6), 498–502.
NPPO of Serbia (2024-10).