A tarsonemid mite, Steneotarsonemus furcatus De Leon on Maranta spp.

Steneotarsonemus furcatus was described by De Leon (1956) who observed the tarsonemid mites feeding on Paspalum sp. Specimens were collected on 5 October 1955 in Coral Gables, Florida. Beer (1958) of the University of Kansas received specimens from A. E. Pritchard (University of California) with a notation that a severe infestation had been discovered in greenhouse-grown maranta plants and was causing leaf distortion and stunting of the plants (fig. 1). The specimens had come from Buena Park (Los Angeles County), California and were intercepted in Los Angeles on 26 August 1953. This mite has recently been found on Maranta and Calathea in greenhouses in Florida.