Aceria sp.

An eriophyid leaf-curling mite (recently identified as an undescribed species of Aceria) that can have severe impacts on the growth of New Mexico olive (Forestiera pubescens Nuttall var. pubescens) in nursery and landscape settings in the southwestern US. Once infected, individual trees generally retain populations of the mite from year to year, suggesting that it overwinters under the bud scales. Symptoms of leaf curl appear about 3 to 4 weeks after bud-break, and the growth of affected trees can be severely impacted. The entire margin of affected leaves curls inward on the underside of the leaf, forming a tight seal against the edge of the petiole; the mites feed and reproduce within this protected habitat, making it hard to reach them with non-systemic pesticides.