Abstract
The red spider mite Tetranychus evansi (Acari : Tetranychidae) Baker and Pritchard was recorded for the first time in Greece, in the area of Tympaki (south-central Crete) on Solanum nigrum. T evansi is a pest of crops of the family Solanaceae, which are grown extensively in Crete. The species identification was based on both morphological and molecular data. The second internal transcribed spacer was PCR amplified and sequenced in samples from Crete. Sequences were compared with the sequence of T evansi from Brazil and with the ITS2 sequences (retrieved from GenBank) of the two closely related tetranychid species most commonly found in Greece, Tetranychus turkestani and Tetranychus urticae.Author Keywords: internal transcribed spacer (ITS2); red spider mite; Solanaceae; Solanum nigrum; Tetranychidae; Tetranychus turkestani; Tetranychus urticae