Scientific Opinion on the pest categorisation of Eotetranychus lewisi

The Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of the Lewis spider mite, Eotetranychus lewisi, for the European Union (EU). The Lewis spider mite is a well-defined and distinguishable pest species that has been reported from a wide range of hosts, including cultivated species. Its distribution in the EU territory is restricted to (i) Madeira in Portugal; and to (ii) Poland where few occurrences were reported in glasshouses only. The pest is listed in Annex IIAI of Council Directive 2000/29/EC. A potential pathway of introduction and spread is plants traded from outside Europe and between Member States. The Lewis spider mite has the potential to establish in most part of the EU territory based on climate similarities with the distribution area outside the EU and the widespread availability of hosts present both in open fields and in protected cultivations. With regards to the potential consequences, one study is providing quantitative data on impact showing that the pest can reduce yield and affect quality of peaches and poinsettias, and only few studies describe the general impact of the pest on cultivated hosts. Although chemical treatments are reported to be effective in controlling the Lewis spider mite, it is mentioned as a growing concern for peaches, strawberries, raspberries and vines in the Americas. Overall, Eotetranychus lewisi meets the pest categorisation criteria defined in the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No 11 for a quarantine pest and in No 21 for a regulated non-quarantine pest.