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Red palm mite feeding, SEM
Red palm mite (Raoiella indica) feeding on a palm leaf, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). This is the head of the mite. The white structures are sensory hairs. The stylet (feeding part, yellow) is seen digging into a stoma on the palm leaf at lower right. A stoma is an opening through which a leaf breathes and transpires (releases water vapour). In this species of mite, the stylets dig deeper into the leaf and cause more damage. This mite is an arachnid pest that infests a range of palms, including banana and coconut palms. It is an invasive species in the Caribbean, and is also spreading through the southern USA.
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