First report of Aceria litchii in Israel
The NPPO of Israel recently informed the EPPO Secretariat of the first report of the lychee erinose mite Aceria litchii (Acari: Eriophyidae) on its territory. It is a quarantine pest for Israel.
During the spring of 2025, suspicious symptoms were found on trees of Litchi chinensis in a commercial orchard in one small area close to the border with Lebanon. Infested plant material was sampled and the pest was identified by the official laboratory as Aceria litchii, by morphological and molecular tests. This is the first finding of this pest in Israel. The entry pathway is unknown, though illicit import of prohibited propagation material is suspected.
A country-wide survey has been conducted, and has confirmed the mite’s restricted distribution to commercial lychee plots within a limited area close to the Lebanese border. In parallel, eradication measures are being applied in the outbreak area. Infested trees are pruned to remove all leaves and sprayed with sulphur. Infested cut branches and twigs are destroyed.
The pest status of Aceria litchii in Israel is officially declared as: Present, restricted distribution and under eradication.
Aceria litchii is one of the most important pests of lychee. It is native to Asia and has been reported in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, China, Taiwan as well as in Hawaii and Australia. In 2010, it was first reported in Brazil where it has spread to all major lychee-producing areas. In 2018, it was first found in Florida (USA), where it is under eradication. Giordano et al. (2024) reported its first occurrence in the EPPO region, in Italy. A. litchii was identified in a field of symptomatic litchi trees in the northern part of Sicily in autumn 2023. Similar symptoms at a lower intensity had been observed in that field on lychee leaves during the decade prior to this, but had not previously been considered as a phytosanitary problem.
Sources
NPPO of Israel (2026-06).
Giordano T, Lamendola M, Mezzano M, Scuderi D, Gugliuzza G, Tsolakis H (2024) Invasion of the erinose mite Aceria litchii (Eriophyoidea, Eriophyidae) in Europe. International Journal of Acarology 50(4), 392-394.
Revynthi AM, Crane JH, Wasielewski J, Kendra PE, Carillo D (2021) The Lychee Erinose Mite (Keifer) (Acari: Eriophyidae). ENY2073, Entomology and Nematology Department, UF/IFAS Extension. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-IN1347-2022