Tetranychus urticae genome sequencing project

Tetranychus urticae. The Red Spider Mite (aka Two-Spotted Spider Mite) is plant pest found in dry environments. It is extremely small, with adults measuring 0.5 mm. It is polyphagous, feeding on thousands if different plant species, including vegetable drops and ornamentals. Individual leaf lesions caused by feeding are small, although it is not uncommon for a single plant to have an infestation of hundreds of thousands of mites. During the summer, T. urticae has a greenish brown appearance with two darker spots, but as winter approaches it gains a strong red color. Some populations are pemanently greenish or reddish, and these are considered different species of Tetranychus by some authorities.