A survey of Brevipalpus mite species and their predators in Costa Rican citrus and coffee plantations

Brevipalpus mites pose a significant threat to citrus and coffee production worldwide due to their transmission of plant viruses. This study surveyed all seven provinces of Costa Rica to identify Brevipalpus species associated with these economically vital crops. The investigation revealed the presence of five Brevipalpus species, including B. yothersi, a major vector of citrus leprosis cilevirus in numerous countries, B. papayensis, previously linked to coffee ringspot dichorhavirus in South America, B. phoenicis, B. californicus, and B. azores, vectors of dichorhaviruses causing citrus leprosis diseases. Despite their presence, no viral symptoms were observed in the plantations surveyed. Generalized linear models revealed different distributional patterns across altitude gradients; the probability of occurrence of B. papayensis increased with altitude, whereas the detection of B. yothersi declined at higher elevations across both hosts. The other three species occurred at very low frequencies; B. californicus and B. phoenicis were positively associated with altitude, though the latter only on Citrus. In contrast, B. azores slight decline with altitude on Citrus. In addition, the study documented 17 predatory mite species, 14 species belonging to Phytoseiidae and three to Stigmaeidae. This study examines the relationship between Brevipalpus distribution and altitude using empirical survey data across an entire country, demonstrating that Brevipalpus distributions in Costa Rica on these two hosts are strongly shaped by altitude and host, with species responding in contrasting ways. Such ecological differentiation has important implications for predicting virus risk under changing environmental conditions and provides a critical baseline for designing integrated pest management strategies in citrus and coffee production systems.